The B2 - Self-study Portuguese for Foreigners course is designed for adults (aged 18 or over) looking to improve and develop their communication skills in European Portuguese. Students should have an elementary understanding of the language, meaning that they are able to communicate in a simple and coherent way, understanding the main issues behind everyday topics and expressing their ideas in a clear manner.
As a distance-learning course, it gives all foreign learners the chance to study Portuguese and learn about Portugal and its culture, particularly those who until now wouldn’t otherwise get such an opportunity.
The course adopts an intercultural approach based on teaching and learning as a way of examining students’ knowledge of themselves and others. Teaching and learning is a way of promoting the Portuguese language and culture and a means to gradually increasing multilingual awareness across different cultures.
Aims of the course
Ultimately, when the course is finished, students will be able to understand the main questions when interacting with someone speaking about familiar subjets in standard and clear Portuguese (work related matters, school or leisure). They will be able to deal with most situations encountered in places where Portuguese is widely spoken. They will be able to converse in a basic and consistent manner on their favourite subjects and discuss issues in which they have a personal interest. They will be capable of describing their experiences, events, dreams, hopes and ambitions, as well as giving reasons for their opinions.
Concerning language skills, the student will specifically be able to:
Oral comprehension
- Understand long speeches and interventions and even follow the most complex parts of an argument, as long as it is about a relatively familiar topic;
- Understand to a large extent any television news programme and similar broadcasts;
- Understand to a large extent any movie, as long as standard Portuguese is being spoken.
Reading
- Read news articles and reports about today's issues and understand the authors' position and particular points of view;
- Understand contemporary literary prose texts.
Course structure and teaching methods
The course is divided into twelve weekly modules covering the following three skills:
- Reading;
- Oral comprehension;
- Grammar;
Students are expected to spend four hours per week working on the various course activities:
- Self-study: Reading and listening to materials relating to the course modules; doing tasks and a variety of exercises, including grammar
Course duration
The course will be available for twelve weeks.
Tuition fee
180 €
Assessment
Assessment is continuous and based on the following criteria:
- Regular access to the platform/course segments;
- Completing the online exercises;
- Taking part in reading, speaking and grammar-based activities;
Course certificates
All students successfully completing the course will receive an official certificate.
Any student wishing to officially register their level proficiency in the Portuguese language may sit an exam for obtaining the Portuguese as a Foreign Language Elementary Diploma (DEPLE) at a Portuguese as a Foreign Language Assessment Center (CAPLE).
For more information, please visit http://caple.letras.ulisboa.pt