Communication in Portuguese

The Portuguese language is difficult and as with any other language, learning it requires perseverance, dedication and willingness to communicate.

Communication is an act of free will and the way one approaches another influences how each will respond and react. At first it may seem like an impossible task but with time you will feel more confident.

The greatest difficulty is to get to a place, to try to start a conversation but not one word gets out of our mouth. Even when knowing what the words mean in Portuguese.
We feel stupid, dumb and it's frustrating because we feel apart. But because the effort that one does by communicating is recognized when it is genuine, do not hesitate to ask for help, to ask to speak more slow, to repeat or to translate if you have difficulties in communication in Portuguese.

Investing time in building relationships with locals may seem like an overwhelming task, but it is an effective way for successful integration, that only can be reached with time. The doubts, the fear of making mistakes, or being judged about not knowing something that we think we should know, is sometimes embarrassing. But it is important not to give up and to value what has already been achieved.

I also advise you to listen to the radio, read newspapers or magazines, put papers in your walls with useful words and phrases about daily life, to immerse yourself in the language.

Learning a language before moving to the country helps a lot, and we all have had to learn a language, whether it is foreign, or your own.