Practical Portuguese 1

Practical information

CEF

A1	At the end of the course, you can understand and use familiar, everyday expressions and basic phrases in areas of immediate need. You can also read and write short, simple texts. You can interact in a simple way provided the other person speaks slowly and clearly and is willing to help. You can for example introduce yourself and you can ask and answer questions on very familiar topics.
A2	At the end of the course you can understand phrases related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. personal and family information, shopping, employment, ...). You can read and write short, simple notes and messages and find information in everyday material such as advertisements and timetables. You can communicate in simple and routine situations on familiar, everyday topics. You can describe in simple phrases some aspects of your background, your close surroundings and your immediate needs.
B1	At the end of the course you can understand the main points of standard communication on familiar matters regularly encountered. You can enter unprepared into conversation on topics that are familiar and you can connect phrases in a simple way. You can write simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest and you can briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
B2	At the end of the course you can understand most TV news and current affairs programmes. You can even follow complex lines of argument provided the topic is reasonably familiar. You can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible. You can understand the main points of complex texts on concrete and abstract topics and you can understand technical discussions related to your field. You can write clear, detailed texts on a wide range of subjects and you can explain a viewpoint on a topical issue expressing the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
C1	At the end of this course you can better understand native speakers, even when they talk very fast. You learn how to express yourself fluently and spontaneously without any preparation and without much obvious searching for expressions. You can understand more difficult and longer texts, like those you will encounter during your studies. You can also recognize implicit meaning. You can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. You can write clear, well-structured, detailed texts about complex subjects, logically structured, coherent and well connected.
C2	At the end of the course you have no difficulty in understanding any kind of spoken or written language. You can summarize spoken or written language and reconstruct arguments and presentations coherently. You can express yourself fluently and spontaneously and convey finer shades of meaning precisely, even in more complex situations.

Course hours

Prices		Evening
Commercial student This is the standard price for this language course. If you are not entitled to a discount, this is the price you will need to pay.		€285
Student UGent You are registered as a UGent student and you take a course this academic year (or the summer before). Not registered yet? Check out the FAQ discount for future UGent students. PhD students benefit from the staff rate.		€180
Scholarship student UGent You are registered as a UGent student and you have a scholarship from the Flemish Community this academic year. Send us a proof of your scholarship via this form, together with your registration.		€140
Incoming exchange student UGent You are registered as an incoming exchange student of UGent. You will receive an extra discount for a Dutch course. For more info, see the FAQ discount for incoming exchange students.		€180
Outgoing exchange student UGent As an outgoing exchange student of UGent you receive an extra discount. You pay the student fee first and after your departure (after you upload the confirmation of arrival) your discount will be settled automatically.		€50
Staff member UGent As a staff member of UGent, you receive a discount, independent of the paying method used for the course. PhD students fall under this category as well.		€255

Semester

Hours per week

1x2 of 1x2,5

Books by

UCT

Objectives and content

By making use of vocabulary, listening and grammar exercises, you will acquire the basic vocabulary and grammar that you need to understand very simple, clearly pronounced words and short sentences and you will be able to make short sentences in the present tense yourself. At the end of this course, you will be able to present yourself understandably in Portuguese both when speaking and writing and to talk about your hobbies.
The course will emphasise continental Portuguese, by which we mean that the teacher will instruct the grammar as used in Portugal. However, we will pay attention to the (small) distinctions from Brazilian Portuguese and African Portuguese (Angola, Mozambique, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau). After all, continental Portuguese grammar is the perfect foundation to acquire the other variants.

Listening skills: Both class dialogues and language laboratory lessons contain a lot of listening materials that will familiarize you with Portuguese.
Speaking skills: Communication is essential in this course. By the end of this course, you will have acquired the skills and the confidence to have short everyday conversations.
Reading skills: In every lesson, participants listen to and read a number of dialogues. These dialogues and other texts are used to introduce structures, grammar and vocabulary.
Writing skills: By the end of this course, you can write a short and simple letter. You can also complete forms with personal information.
Specific grammatical items: conjugation of the regular and irregular verbs in the present tense (presente) and the past tense (pretérito perfeito simples), the imperative, declension of the nouns and adjectives, pronouns (also enclitic), prepositions, adverbs and adverbials of time and place, etc.

Required prior knowledge

No prior knowledge of Portuguese is required.

Tests

There is a final test.

Course materials

Recommended books:

Paiva Raposo E., Graça Vicenta (2013): Gramática do português, Lisboa: Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian.
Prisma Woordenboek Nederlands - Portugees, Utrecht: Het Spectrum
Prisma Woordenboek Portugees-Nederlands, Utrecht: Het Spectrum

If you buy one of these books at Standaard Boekhandel, Kouter 31, 9000 Gent, you will receive a discount of 10% on the official price. Make sure to mention that you take a language course at the UCT.

Are you already registered for this course? Check out our FAQ ‘What to do after my registration?’.

Schedule and subscribe

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University Language Centre