Portuguese for Beginners: Your First 30 Days

Day one of a new language is overwhelming — alphabets of options, conflicting advice, and the nagging question "where do I even start?" Here's a concrete 30-day plan for European Portuguese, from absolute zero.

Week 1: Sounds and greetings

• Learn the greeting set: olá, bom dia, boa tarde, boa noite, adeus, até logo.
• Meet the weird sounds early — ão, nasal vowels, the "sh" s — so nothing later surprises you.
• Set your daily slot: same time, 15 minutes, tied to an existing habit (morning coffee works).

Week 2: Survival phrases and numbers

• Numbers 1–100 (you need them for prices immediately).
• Politeness kit: por favor, obrigado/a, desculpe, com licença.
• First verbs: ser and estar in the singular (sou, és, é / estou, estás, está).

Week 3: First real sentences

• Introduce yourself: Chamo-me... Sou de... Moro em...
• Present tense of regular -ar verbs (falar as your model).
• Start flashcards with audio — aim for 100 words by end of week.

Week 4: Put it together

• Order food and drinks in a full exchange (rehearse it out loud).
• Ask and answer simple questions: Onde? Quando? Quanto? Porquê?
• Have your first AI or human conversation, however clumsy. Day 30 goal: a 2-minute exchange using only Portuguese.

Beginner mistakes to skip

• Learning Brazilian by accident. Check every resource says "European Portuguese" — the default is usually Brazilian.
• Grammar-first studying. Rules stick to examples, not the other way around.
• Silent learning. If your mouth hasn't moved, you haven't fully learned it.
• Waiting for perfect. A1 Portuguese with confidence beats B1 Portuguese never spoken.