Learn Portuguese

Learn Portuguese in Brazil

If you really want to make the most of your experience abroad on a gap year or career break a really good idea is to learn a language. Real Gap has programmes offering language tuition in numerous countries, but one of the most exciting destinations in which to learn a language has to be Brazil.

If you plan to travel around Brazil extensively it is an excellent idea to learn Portuguese while you are there. Brazil is one of the most fascinating and liveliest countries in South America - and its many highlights include Rio de Janeiro (and its world famous carnival), numerous superb beaches, the Amazon jungle and the incredible Iguacu Falls. Away from the main tourist hot-spots, very few Brazilians speak English, so if you learn Portuguese it will make life much easier. If you plan to do some volunteer work while you are in Brazil then it is essential you learn some Portuguese. If you learn Portuguese you will get to know the local people far better and they usually greatly appreciate it when foreign travellers make the effort to try and speak to them in their own language. If you learn Portuguese in Brazil you will also have a lot of fun in the classroom - it is nothing like being at school!

If you learn Portuguese it is also a great way to meet other like-minded travellers who attend the same language school - indeed, many people return home having made lifelong friendships. If you learn Portuguese it is a fantastic feeling when you start to make yourself understood to local people by conversing in their language and it gives you a real sense of achievement. If you learn Portuguese on a gap year, or any other language for that matter, it is also an excellent thing to be able to add to your CV once you have returned home.

Real Gap has several different programmes in Brazil, all of which allow travellers to learn Portuguese. If you are simply planning to travel around Brazil and want to learn Portuguese at the start of your trip, then the best option is Real Gap's ‘Cultural and Language Experience Brazil' programme. You don't have to volunteer; you can just learn Portuguese if that's all you want to do. Travellers on this programme learn Portuguese for four hours a day, (twenty hours a week), leaving them plenty of opportunity to relax or explore in their spare time. Other than learn Portuguese there are also plenty of excursions and activities organised, making it a great place to meet other travellers. If you learn Portuguese in Brazil with Real Gap you get to stay with local families at the language school, (in your own private room), which is an ideal opportunity to immerse yourself in to the Brazilian way of life and practice your new-found language skills.  

If you want to learn Portuguese or volunteer in Brazil it is important to stress that there is plenty of support available locally - you are not just left to fend for yourself, and there is loads of back up on hand if you need it! If you want to learn Portuguese on one of Real Gap's programmes and there is anything you are not clear about regarding any of our programmes then it's always a good idea to speak to one of Real Gap's team of expert travel advisers who will do all they can to answer any questions you may have.

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