Join this course to enhance your conversational skills in a range of simple everyday situations. To benefit from the course, participants will have done one of the following:
1) studied Portuguese for two terms/1 year.
2) completed Parts 1 and 2 of our Portuguese Beginners level, or
3) achieved or are near Level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages.
Course starts: 21 Apr 2026
Enhance your Portuguese conversational skills with our elementary-level conversation class, designed for learners with a basic foundation in the language! The course focuses on developing listening and speaking skills, expanding vocabulary, and improving grammar accuracy in basic everyday situations. Through interactive activities and tasks, multimedia resources, and constructive feedback, you'll refine your language and improve your speaking skills.
Our open-access courses cater for mixed-ability groups, fostering a collaborative environment where students work together to achieve their learning goals. The weekly course schedule below provides an overview of the main topics likely to be covered in each session. Please note that these may sometimes change at the tutor’s discretion to reflect the interests of course participants.
Week 1: Vou viajar! Preparing a trip: booking hotels and services.
Making phone-calls; providing information for form filling; dates
and timetables.
Week 2: Estou a chegar! On the plane; at the airport; in the taxi; on the underground.
Checking timetables, destinations, and seats. Claiming for a lost bag. Asking for tickets.
Week 3: Desculpe...? At the hotel, tourist information office, and the underground station.
Asking for and giving information; checking in; and buying tickets.
Week 4: Olá! Boa tarde, muito prazer! Meeting family, friends and/or work colleagues.
Formal and informal greetings; introductions. Scheduling meetings.
Talking about routines, hobbies and future plans.
Week 5: Silêncio, que se vai... apresentar! Students’ (voluntary) presentations. (1)
Discussing cultural topics relevant to the Portuguese-speaking countries and communities, based on students’ choices.
Week 6: Silêncio que se vai... apresentar! Students’ (voluntary) presentations. (2)
Discussing cultural topics relevant to the Portuguese speaking countries and communities, based on students’ choices.
Week 7: Almoçamos? Lunch at work. Dinner with family and friends.
Inviting colleagues, family and friends. Ordering meals at the restaurant. Discussing and following recipes.
Week 8: Revisões. Revision.
Week 9: Vamos às compras? Shopping.
Asking for help in shops and services. Making requests.
Expressing preferences, likes and dislikes.
Week 10: Um picnic de despedida. A farewell picnic. Linguistic and cultural games.
Key grammar points
- Ser vs. Estar
- Present vs. Preterite as Conditional (for polite requests)
- Present vs 'Estar a' + Infinitive; Ir + Infinitive; Modal/ising verbs + Infinitive
- Adjectives: comparatives and superlatives
Key functions
- Giving and asking for personal information
- Making requests and asking for assistance
- Checking information
- Expressing preferences, likes and dislikes
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
No Course book required. All course materials will be provided by the course tutor.
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee (with no assessment) | £300.00 |
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.
Ângela Sarmento-D. is an experienced teacher of Portuguese language and culture and English as a foreign language. She holds a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures (Portuguese and English Studies) and a Masters in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, from the University of Porto. During the curricular stage of her PhD, she attended courses at Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris), where she developed work in the field of Comparative Literature and Interartistic Studies. She is currently teaching Portuguese Language and Culture at the University of Oxford, and is a research member of ILC-ML [Margarida Losa’s Institute for Comparative Literature]. She has translated subtitles the film Pina Bausch: Lissabon Wuppertal Lisboa (2010, Midas Filmes) by Fernando Lopes and for Unreported World, by Channel 4.
To assist learners with basic proficiency in Portuguese in consolidating their conversational skills across a variety of practical everyday situations, thereby laying the groundwork for further study.
Course objectives:
1. Improve Pronunciation and intonation to ensure clear communication.
2. Enhance learners' ability to understand spoken language through various activities, such as listening activities, simple dialogues, guided role-plays and tasks.
3. Encourage learners to participate in simple conversations on everyday topics and gain confidence in speaking.
4. Expand vocabulary pertinent to practical everyday contexts and consolidate the application of fundamental grammar structures in spoken language.
Our language courses promote collaborative learning, encouraging peer interaction and real-life activities. You will learn through participating in engaging activities and tasks in the target language. These are likely to include listening activities, guided role-plays, pair- and small-group work conducted in a supportive, friendly and informal learning environment. The course has been structured to help you primarily to develop your speaking and listening skills.
By the end of the course, students will be better prepared to:
1. engage in basic conversations and ask and answer simple questions.
2. recognise and use key phrases for daily routines.
3. construct grammatically correct sentences to provide basic information and express needs.
4. demonstrate some basic knowledge of the cultural nuances and etiquette of the language.
Formative assessment will be implemented through a series of class activities ranging from guided role-plays and structured pair-work to less structured dialogues and simple tasks. Learners will be encouraged to participate in class activities to benefit from tutor feedback.
Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education
