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Portuguese

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You will discover the richness of Portuguese and its fascinating local variations. It is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Angola, East Timor, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe. Did you know that Portuguese and Spanish overlap in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation? By learning Portuguese, you make yourself more qualified for jobs in international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the African Union, the European Union, Community of Portuguese Language Countries, and the Organization of American States.

 

portuguese

Portuguese

Department Contact Info

World Languages and Cultures

350 Spelman Lane, S.W.
Atlanta, GA. 30314

404-270-5553
fernandasilvaguida@spelman.edu

9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Portuguese

Why Learn Portuguese?

  • There are approximately 220 million native speakers of Portuguese in the world, more than German and French combined.
  • More than a third of Latin America's population speaks Portuguese and lives in Brazil, a member of the BRICS (an association of five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.)
  • The US Department of State has declared Portuguese a strategic language.
  • It is an important language for the African diaspora, spoken in Mozambique, Cape Verde, Brazil, Angola, Guinea Bissau, East Timor and Sao Tome and Principe. Learning the language will give you access to a wealth of cultural and academic materials about these countries.
  • If you know Spanish, you already have a huge vocabulary of cognates and knowledge of the basic grammar, as both languages are very similar.

Portuguese Courses

  • Portuguese 101 - 102
    These courses introduce learners to the language. Students use Portuguese in simulation of everyday interactions in order to communicate. All topics are connected with the everyday culture of the Portuguese-speaking world

  • Portuguese 201 - 202
    These classes are designed to further develop students’ fundamental linguistic skills, as well as their knowledge of everyday culture in Portuguese-speaking countries

  • Portuguese 301: Conversation, Composition and Culture
    This course develops students’ linguistic skills in Portuguese bridging the intermediate and advanced levels, with an emphasis on speaking and writing. Each class focuses on topics of personal and general interest, including current events in the Portuguese-speaking world, with a focus on Brazil

  • 352: Luso-Afro-Brazilian Cinema
    Taught in English, this course focuses on the cinema of the Portuguese-speaking world. It covers topics  such as gender, race, the city, migration, violence, and history in the cultures of Brazil, Portugal, and  Portuguese-speaking Africa. Students watch several films and read scholarly work about the topics addressed or about the history and the societies of the countries depicted in the films. All films will have English subtitles.

Portuguese Resources

How do you say… in Portuguese?

  • Hi/Hello = Oi/Olá!
  • Good morning = Bom dia!
  • Good afternoon = Boa tarde!
  • Good evening/night = Boa noite!
  • How are you? = Tudo bem?
  • What’s your name? = Como você se chama?/Qual é o seu nome?
  • My name is… = Eu me chamo…/Meu nome é…

Music

  • Crioulo (BR)
  • Emicida (BR)
  • Karol Conká (BR)
  • Daniela Mercury (BR)
  • Caetano Veloso (BR)
  • Novos Baianos (BR)
  • Elis Regina (BR)
  • Cassia Eller (BR)
  • Timbalada (BR)
  • Buraka Som Sistema (AO / PT)
  • Da Weasel (PT)
  • General D (MZ)
  • Twenty Fingers (MZ)
  • Iveth Mafundza (MZ)

Cinema and TV Series

(Available to watch on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime)

  • Central Station (1998)
  • Look at This (2007)
  • The Man from the Future (2011)
  • Father"s Chair (2012)
  • The Way He Looks (2014)
  • The Second Mother (2015)
  • Chatô – the King of Brazil (2015)
  • Aquarius (2016)
  • 3% (2016) – TV series
  • Most Beautiful Thing (2019) – TV series
  • Sintonia (2019) – TV series

Proficient Portuguese speakers are in high demand in the following areas:

  • Entrepreneurs and business executives for global companies
  • Pioneers to develop health, education and national policies
  • Political and intelligence government analysts
  • International traders and lawyers
  • Future diplomats and leaders
  • The next generation of Portuguese language teachers and professors
  • Engineers designing the future to meet our changing energy needs
See World Languages and Cultures Overview

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