Emma Maier hasn't made a good start in learning Portuguese. The German is from Munich and wants to move to Portugal in August. For her, there is no integration without a command of the language, so she looked for ways to learn.

“I was disoriented for a long time. I saw lots of apps, most of them in Brazilian Portuguese, videos on YouTube and other materials. There was a lot of scattered information, and I felt that these resources only worked as a supplement. I needed structured lessons,” says the 42-year-old German.

So, she decided to start online classes. But, once again, she lacked something to advance in the language: “I had lessons twice a week, but I wanted to work a lot more. Although the tutor sometimes gave me homework, I felt I could go much further.”

It was then that she was recommended Conversa Portuguese, an innovative virtual school for teaching European Portuguese, which combines online classes with a platform with hundreds of resources and now tools. “It's totally changed the way I learn Portuguese. I'm progressing faster than I ever dreamed. The other day, I realized that I was conversing fluently with a Portuguese man in Munich.”

What has changed? Emma says: “A totally free platform with materials for self-learning, a digital library (a repository of music, series, films, gastronomy) and a reading room, as well as ‘a teacher who loves what she does and is very qualified’. And, as of May, “Artificial Intelligence tools that help improve my speaking”.

After each lesson, Emma has to carry out specific tasks to work on the content she has learned and her biggest difficulties. She also practices the language through many other exercises on the platform and reads some texts by Portuguese authors in the reading room, thanks to the translation and explanation of the most difficult words.” A very positive thing, says Emma, is that she no longer has to waste time looking for Portuguese movies, TV series or music, because “the platform has everything”.

Emma finally has “what she needs to learn Portuguese: structured lessons focused on her needs, hundreds of resources to practice the language and an excellent teacher”. Now, with the AI tools, she can practice speaking autonomously and receive feedback.

Emma isn't the only fan of Cláudia and the teachers at Conversa Portuguese. Students of different nationalities have passed through these classes: expats living in Portugal or Portuguese-speaking African countries, people with families in these countries, business people, students preparing for exams, particularly the CIPLE, tourists visiting Portugal, people passionate about the language and culture, children and teenagers. For everyone, the success of learning the language and friendship remain.

Conversa Portuguese offers classes for those who have no knowledge of Portuguese and at all levels: beginner (A1 and A2), intermediate (B1 and B2) and advanced (C1). Students can opt for individual or group lessons for English and French speakers. Group courses, with a maximum of six students and at affordable prices, take place more intensively, at least three times a week, so that students have more contact with the language, which leads to better results. If you already know Portuguese but need more oral practice, Conversa Portuguese also offers group courses, with a maximum of four students.

With 23 years' experience, a bachelor's and master's degree in Portuguese and Portuguese as a Non-Mother Tongue and a PhD in these areas, Cláudia Taveira had the idea of creating this school model because, in the case of European Portuguese, there are only online classes or platforms/applications. “There are a lot of classes on offer, but one method alone isn't enough. Contact with the language is essential and cannot be limited to the classroom. It's important for learners to have access to a structured course that guides them, but also to other resources that promote contact with the language outside of lessons”. The investment was big, “but seeing the students’ progress more quickly makes it all worthwhile”.

As in all physical schools, at Conversa Portuguese students have access to rooms, but here they are virtual: their own classroom, with all the class materials organized, an autonomous learning room (with videos on grammar, interactive exercises, games), a reading room (with chronicles, short stories, poems, which include translation and/or explanation of difficult vocabulary and cultural and historical references), as well as a digital library (a repository of films, series, Portuguese music, among other resources).

The school offers a free trial lesson and, if you decide to continue, 90-minute lessons in General Portuguese or Specific Purposes. When you buy lessons, you get access to the platform, with hundreds of resources, and AI tools completely free of charge.

Language learning didn't start well for Emma, but now she says she's on the right track. And, for her, the path will lead her more quickly and with fewer obstacles to a destination: fluency in Portuguese and integration.