16 Portuguese Learning Resources: Free and Paid Options

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Are you learning Portuguese, and you want to find the best free online Portuguese language lessons?

Start with resources that match your level and the variety of Portuguese you want to learn.

I’ve collected free resources, free samples and a few paid options to help you practise Portuguese.

Learning European Portuguese? I’ve included free resources for you too, so you don’t have to work through a list aimed only at Brazilian Portuguese learners.

Whichever dialect you’re studying, don’t be afraid to try out other dialects. It’s always OK to experiment with different accents.

Here are 16 Portuguese learning resources for different levels and varieties. Preply appears in both beginner lists because it has tutors from Portugal and Brazil.

Access information reviewed: September 2026. This list labels free material, paid courses, archives and app listings separately. Check the provider’s current terms before paying or starting a trial.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Portuguese Language Lessons for Beginners

A lot of beginners think you need to learn vocabulary and grammar before you start speaking Portuguese, and listening to other people speak Portuguese.

In my view, it’s actually better to speak and listen to Portuguese from the first day you start learning.

I recommend that you use self-study methods like flash cards and structured audio lessons to build your vocabulary, plus kids’ TV shows to get exposure to natural spoken Portuguese. I’d also recommend that you practise talking to native Portuguese speakers!

Try the following resources whether you’re just starting out, or have reached an advanced level.

Beginner Resources for European Portuguese

• Memrise has been one of my first stops when starting a language. It can help you learn common phrases and vocabulary, but the main app has both free and paid features. Older community-made courses are separate from the main app; see Memrise’s community-course explanation and check which variety of Portuguese a course teaches.
• RTP Zigzag. RTP is Portugal’s public broadcasting network, and Zigzag is its children’s section. You’ll find cartoons and other children’s programmes in European Portuguese, with different topics and lengths. Choose a short clip if you only have a few minutes during a coffee break.

• Speaking early can help, but it doesn’t have to happen on day one. Preply offers paid lessons with tutors from Portugal and Brazil; it isn’t a language-exchange service.

• Learn Portuguese with Rafa. Rafa’s website focuses on European Portuguese for beginners and explains some differences from Brazilian Portuguese. Its free pages cover grammar, pronunciation and everyday phrases, including verb moods, conjunctions and swear words.

Beginner Resources for Brazilian Portuguese

• PortuguesePod101. I recommend Innovative Language’s courses to language learners, and PortuguesePod101 has Brazilian Portuguese lessons from absolute beginner to advanced. You can also read our full PortuguesePod101 review. A free account gives you selected lessons and a seven-day Premium trial. Full lesson-library access and PDF lesson notes require a paid plan; Basic includes these, so you don’t need Premium just for the notes.
• BrazilianPodClass. Marina Gomes’s course offers structured audio lessons with grammar, vocabulary and PDF material, showing you how to build new phrases rather than just repeat them. The full course is paid. Its free podcast listing currently offers a sample from 2021, not the complete lesson library.
• Semantica is a paid Brazilian Portuguese video course formatted like a TV show. Each episode follows a scene in a story, giving you a reason to keep watching. Its blog has free learning material, but the full story-based course requires payment.
• Duolingo is an alternative to flash cards for building Brazilian Portuguese vocabulary and learning grammar. You can study its courses for free, with optional paid subscriptions for extra features.
• Preply also has paid tutors from Brazil. See our Preply review.

Intermediate Portuguese Podcasts, Videos and Other Resources

These intermediate Portuguese learning resources (including podcasts and videos) will take your Portuguese skills beyond the basics. I made sure to choose material that’s designed to be engaging. You’re more likely to study when you find learning fun.

When listening to spoken Portuguese with the resources below, don’t be discouraged if you don’t understand everything you hear. The more you listen, the better you’ll get at picking out the words you know. You’ll also get pretty good at catching the gist of a story without knowing every single word.

Podcasts, Videos and Other Resources to Learn Intermediate European Portuguese

• Practice Portuguese has European Portuguese audio and lessons for a range of levels, from beginners upwards. Listening material varies from slower speech to more natural conversations, so choose something you can follow with a little effort. Selected Shorties and Learning Notes are free; the full learning platform is paid and does not offer a free trial. If you’ve studied Brazilian Portuguese and want to get used to the European variety, its listening material can help.
• Portugueses no Mundo. This free RTP programme interviews Portuguese people living abroad, with stories about moving away from Portugal and starting a life in another country. You’ll hear recurring themes such as work, settling in and what people miss about home. Those familiar topics can help you follow the conversation, while different guests bring different experiences and accents.
• Visiokids: Ciência para Crianças (Science for Kids). Learn science facts while practising Portuguese listening comprehension. The old RTP Play programme page is unavailable, but RTP Ensina keeps a collection of Visiokids material.
• Camões, Instituto da Cooperação e da Língua. This Portuguese public institute’s free learning area has material for reading, speaking and listening. Under “A Ler” (“reading”), look for stories, books with audio, biographies with quizzes and everyday-language guides. Try “A Falar” (“speaking”) for spoken-Portuguese videos, “A Ouvir” (“listening”) for audio exercises, and “A Brincar” (“playing”) for games. Much of the site is in Portuguese, with English and French translations in some sections. If an older link fails, return to the learning-area menu to look for the material; not every archived page is guaranteed to work.

Podcasts, Videos and Other Resources to Learn Intermediate Brazilian Portuguese

• NHK World Radio Japão. News can help you practise listening to clearly presented Portuguese at natural speed. NHK has Portuguese news and a Portuguese news podcast listing. Try a report, then read about the same story in your own language to check what you understood. Check the episode date when choosing from the feed.
• Cinem(ação). If you enjoy films, try this free Brazilian podcast with Rafael Arinelli and guests discussing cinema and related cultural themes. New episodes appear weekly, but they don’t all focus on films released that week. Familiar films can make the conversations easier to follow.

Advanced Portuguese Language Lessons

Once you’ve reached an advanced stage of learning Portuguese, you’re ready to start engaging with the same media that native speakers use. You’re also able to find resources yourself, and I recommend finding those you like.

Here are a couple of my favourites to get you started.

Advanced European Portuguese

• Conta-me Tudo (Tell Me Everything). This Portuguese storytelling project has an archive on Mixcloud, with different speakers telling personal stories to an audience. The varied voices and natural pace make it useful for advanced listening. These are older recordings, not a promise of new weekly episodes.

Advanced Brazilian Portuguese

• CBTV Canal Brasil’s former iOS listing is now BraziTV The Brazilian Channel. The App Store lists it as free and describes Portuguese-language TV programming for brasileiros (Brazilians), so it is aimed at native speakers rather than learners. The listing’s last update was in October 2024; check availability on your device and in your region before relying on it. Playback has not been verified for this guide.