Product Description

From the bay of Lisbon to the carnival streets of Rio de Jainero, one language unites 150 million people. With this unique guide you too can speak Portuguese as you build your vocabulary and perfect your grammar using Hugo's proven system. Whetheryou are ordering seafood on the Algarve or cheering on Brazil in the World Cup, you will feel confident in understanding and speaking this vibrant language.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #129740 in Books
• Published on: 2003-07-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Customer Reviews

Starts off okay..
A good effort at simplifying the complexities of Portuguese grammar, but the book tends to suffer towards the end when the author starts invoking verbs, vocabulary and even a few grammar structures which haven't been explained, translated, mentioned or studied. I found it particularly frustrating at the end. If you use this book be sure to have a good Portuguese dictionary at hand.
Further, it does seem to lean more in favour of Portugal's Portuguese as opposed to Brazil's. For instance, when speaking of a present continuous action the author indicates that the Portuguese use the preposition 'a' followed by the infinitive form of the verb:
Eu estou a falar (I am speaking)
Whereas the Brazilians use the present participle instead:
Eu estou falando (I am speaking)
This is fine, and although the author has made efforts to accommodate both she continues to favour the Portugual-Portuguese way of expressing continuous actions (which doesn't suit me so good).
Generally though it's not a bad little book. Not for grammar-phobes, however.

Too grammatical and dated
This course is all based on grammar followed by texts to practise the grammar. Some texts are rather odd. In the first lesson Portuguese Maria Helena, from the Algarve, is working in Lisbon as a doctor. She says she cannot speak Portuguese but that does not matter. She is about to learn the language now. Isn't this rather odd? In a reading practice later towards the end of the book there is a text on two convicted criminals that have escaped. I hope I shall not meet them when I am in Portugal.

This course may appeal to the older generations from the days when, I am told, grammar was how languages were taught at school. This is now too old-fashioned. I prefer a more modern approach.

The approach is too conservative
This course is all based on grammar followed by texts to practise the grammar. Some texts are rather odd. In the first lesson Portuguese Maria Helena, from the Algarve, is working in Lisbon as a doctor. She says she cannot speak Portuguese but that does not matter. She is about to learn the language now. Isn't this rather odd? In a reading practice later towards the end of the book there is a text on two convicted criminals that have escaped. I hope I shall not meet them when I am in Portugal.

This course may appeal to the older generations from the days when, I am told, grammar was how languages were taught at school. This is now too old-fashioned. I prefer a more modern approach.