Why do Portuguese learners often struggle with the spoken language despite years of study?

I hear it all the time...

"I've studied Portuguese for years...went to Brazil and could barely understand anyone around me."

It’s frustrating.

They've poured time, effort, and hard-earned money into courses, mastering reading and writing—yet everyday spoken Portuguese still somehow feels like a different language.

Why does this happen—even to dedicated learners?

The truth is, it's not their fault.

It's because of how Brazilian Portuguese is traditionally taught.

Most courses focus on teaching the standard, textbook form—the kind you need for exams and academic papers.

In other words, it's "classroom Portuguese".

There's just one problem...

The real spoken language is a WHOLE different animal.

The Portuguese you hear in everyday life—on the streets, in movies, TV shows, and podcasts—is worlds apart from what they generally teach in textbooks and apps.

And so, by relying on these methods, you end up learning a version of the language which you really only see in written contexts like newspaper articles and books—but not what you actually hear when you're around Brazilians.

I know the struggle...

I understand the disillusionment with traditional Brazilian Portuguese learning resources—that was me back in 2002.

Even after studying every course under the sun, I couldn't figure out why I still had so much trouble understanding my Brazilian friends.

That lit a fire in me, sparking a decades-long obsession with decoding how Brazilians actually speak—the real, raw, unscripted language of everyday conversations.

After countless hours of immersion, careful observation, and intense study, I've discovered that the spoken language has TONS of quirks that native speakers themselves don't even notice, but which are crucial for understanding real speech.

Rather than trying to figure all this stuff out on your own through trial-and-error, I've done the hard work so that you don't have to...

Imagine a few months from now...

Imagine a few months from now when you're having your first ever conversations with Brazilians in Portuguese.

Imagine all the new friends you could make, the new relationships you could form...all because you took the initiative to learn their language.

Imagine all the incredible places you'd be able to experience more fully. The treasure trove of Brazilian culture that you'd be able to access.

That's the power of learning this beautiful language—it is the key that will allow you to unlock this amazing world, and it could very well change your life.

But so many traditional methods of teaching Portuguese fail at preparing you for real-life conversations.

They're all about making you sure you learn the most theoretically "correct" form, which just doesn't reflect what you'll actually hear in everyday conversations.

And this makes even the most basic interactions a struggle.

I believe that if your primary objective is to be able to talk to people, you should be able to focus on natural spoken language from day one.

I understand that a lot of people learn Portuguese mainly because they just want be able to have meaningful connections with Brazilians and access an amazing culture—not because they need to take tests and write essays.

You don't have to take the traditional approach of investing years of hard work focusing on the formal, textbook stuff first—you should be able to start learning real-world language right from the get-go.

That’s why I created Real Spoken Portuguese: Foundations—a course built on my decades of experience studying how Brazilians really speak.

It’s a simple, easy-to-follow program designed to take you from absolute beginner to having your very first conversations in Portuguese as quickly as possible.

Here’s how it works:

1. Go through lessons
2. Review
3. Practice with native speakers
4. Start connecting!

In just a matter of months, you could be experiencing the joy of speaking to Brazilians in their own language and forming new connections!

So take the first step and let's get started!