When you start learning English it is important for you to have a reason for doing so. For example, you may want to emigrate to an English=speaking country and knowing how to speak the language is often a requirement. You may have to learn to speak English as part of your job because you have to deal with English speaking customers. When you have a specific reason that is important to you, then you have something to focus on during the learning stages. In order for you to stay focused, it must be something that you want to do.
When you start to learn English, you should set goals for yourself. These goals should not be too high because if you don't attain them, then it is easy to get discouraged. Approach the learning in small steps and then celebrate every accomplishment. For example, if you already know some English words and phrases, your goal may be to learn to pronounce them correctly and be able to use them in the correct situations. Make an agenda for your goal. You need to have an idea of how long it will take you to reach this milestone. Then when you achieve it, you can make another goal. Start off slowly, but make a commitment. You don't want to spend all of your time studying, but you do need to study and practice.
When you start studying English, it is essential that you have a balance of the four English skills in your classes - reading, writing, listening and speaking. It is not enough just to be able to speak the language. You have to be able to understand what others are saying. You also need to be able to read the language so you can enjoy the literature, read the newspaper and understand signs. It is equally important for you to be able to write in English so that you have a good grasp of the skills of English grammar.
There is no one skill that is more important than the other because all of them rely on each other. When choosing a course of study, you should look for one that incorporates all of these elements. Along with being able to learn vocabulary words, there should be passages that you listen to and read and practice exercises where you get an opportunity to write the language.
Try to use the language as much as you can. This means listening to English songs, reading books written in English and watching English television programs. Adults can learn a lot from watching cartoons and educational programs for children, so they should be part of your learning experience.
The most important thing is to have fun. If you don't enjoy learning to speak English, then you won't be able to keep your focus uppermost in your mind. If you get tired or discouraged, take a short break and then go back to it. You have to be prepared to make mistakes and be able to learn from them.
Learning the language can also help prevent you from being taken advantage of. You should not only consider the benefits to you, but the fact that many Portuguese natives will find it extremely impolite and somewhat arrogant, if you are making no effort to speak to them in their language.
Whilst tourist areas and more cosmopolitan towns and cities may have many English speakers to hand, small towns and villages will not.
Government offices and authorities will rarely deal with you in English, and if you attempt to write communications in English you may well get a terse reply telling you that the working language of Portugal is Portuguese!
It is no good waiting until you are living in Portugal to learn and hoping you will just pick it up. You won't! You should start learning many months before your permanent arrival and keep doing it after your relocation.
Here are 8 tips for making it easier to learn Portuguese?
1. There are many language books, tapes, CDs and courses out there. Some are better than others and some may suit some people better than others. Buying a few different courses and alternating them, whilst expensive, may help to keep things fresh and widen your vocabulary and grammar.
2. The key is little and often. 15 to 20 minutes a day is far better than an hour or two once or twice a week. You will retain a lot more and not find yourself getting bogged down. You are also more likely to make that amount of time available each day and not find excuses for doing something else.
3. If possible, try to find a private, native speaking teacher and either attend a class, or preferably one-to-one lessons, so that you can study at your own rate.
4. Study with a spouse, partner or friend for motivational purposes. If you both know there is a time set and that someone else is relying on you, you will be less likely to skip it and do something else.
5. Watch Portuguese TV and listen to Portuguese radio. However awful some of the programmes might be, you will be amazed at how much sinks in after a while. Portuguese telenovelas (soap operas) are excellent for this. The language used is generally of the everyday type and you can usually easily follow the very simple plots and story lines.
6. Don't worry about making mistakes and being perfect. Just DO IT! You won't learn if you don't make mistakes. Think of how many mistakes you hear when foreigners are trying to learn to speak English. Do you make fun of them? No. In general most people are appreciative of others making the effort to learn their language. Plus, it can be real fun.
7. If someone replies to you in English, just keep speaking Portuguese, or if need be, ask them politely if they would mind not speaking to you in English.
8. If you have certain jobs or shopping to do the next day, or later the same day, do a bit of homework before you go out. Make a list of the verbs and vocabulary you might need and learn them and take the list with you for support. Many situations are quite similar, so once you've learnt a few stock phrases you can use them again and again.
Both Warren Wong & Gabrielle Collison are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.