Best Apps to Learn Brazilian Portuguese: What Actually Worked for Me
Three years ago, I was that American guy in São Paulo trying to order coffee by speaking English louder and slower. You know the type. My Portuguese vocabulary consisted of "obrigado" (which I pronounced oh-bri-GAY-do) and whatever words sounded similar to English. My first landlord conversation involved me saying "Eu necessito agua quente" like some kind of Spanish-Portuguese hybrid monster while he stared at me, completely bewildered.
Fast forward to last week, and I'm arguing with my porteiro about whether Palmeiras has a shot at the championship this year – in Portuguese! – while he insists I'm crazy because "Palmeiras não tem Mundial." The journey from mute tourist to futebol trash-talker? Eight apps, hundreds of hours, and more embarrassing mistakes than I care to admit.
The Apps That Got Me Speaking (Ranked by Actual Usefulness)
8. Anki – The Final Boss
Best for: People who enjoy suffering for long-term gain
Anki isn't really a language learning app – it's a memorization system that happens to work for languages. It's also the only app on this list that made me actually angry. Setting it up is like programming your VCR in 1995 (if you don't get that reference, congrats on being young).
But here's the thing: it works. Every single word I've put into Anki has stuck. The spaced repetition is scientifically proven, and you can customize everything. EVERYTHING. Which is both its strength and weakness.
The reality:
- Free on desktop and Android, $25 on iPhone
- Incredibly powerful once configured
- Shared decks vary wildly in quality
- You WILL spend hours tweaking settings
The truth: If you don't have the discipline to review cards daily, Anki becomes a guilt-generating machine. I currently have 847 overdue cards staring at me. Judge me. It works great if you have the time to create and maintain your own decks. If you don't, it's better to pick a different solution.
7. Busuu – Has Good Intentions
Best for: People who want human interaction but are too shy for italki
Busuu tries to be everything – lessons, community, certificates. It kind of succeeds at all of them but doesn't excel at any. The community corrections feature sounds great until you realize half the corrections are from other learners who are also confused.
Positives:
- Real people correct your exercises (eventually)
- Certificates might impress someone
- Lessons are pretty comprehensive
- AI feedback is sometimes helpful
Negatives: Waiting 3 days for someone to correct your writing exercise kills momentum.
6. LingoDeer – The Organized One
Best for: Type-A personalities who need everything explained
LingoDeer is what Duolingo would be if it went to grad school. Everything is organized, explained, and... kind of boring? But boring works when you're trying to understand why Portuguese has 14 ways to say "to be" (okay, not really 14, but it feels like it).
Good stuff:
- Actually explains grammar rules
- Offline mode is clutch for metro rides
- Well-structured lessons
- Tests are pretty comprehensive
Not so good: The Portuguese course feels abandoned. And to pay $14.99/month for a course that hasn't been updated in years? Nah.
5. Clozemaster – For Sentence-Digging Masochists
Best for: People who learned languages before apps were pretty
Clozemaster is brutal. It throws you into the deep end with sentences like "Ele teria sido morto se não tivesse fugido" (He would have been killed if he hadn't fled) and expects you to fill in the blanks.
But you know what? It works. After suffering through 10,000 sentences, Portuguese grammar finally clicked for me. It's not fun, but neither is doing squats at the gym, and both make you stronger.
Why it works:
- Context, context, context
- Covers every grammar pattern... eventually
- Free version is very usable
Why you might hate it: Zero explanation when you're wrong. The interface looks like a terminal from 1995. Some sentences are weird as hell (why do I need to know how to say "The priest blessed the dying soldier"?).
4. Drops – Pretty Pictures, Zero Grammar
Best for: Memorizing words while pretending you're being productive
Drops is Instagram for language learning. It's beautiful, it's satisfying, and after using it for six months, I knew 1,000 words but couldn't form a coherent sentence to save my life.
That said, vocabulary is vocabulary. And Drops taught me food words that I use literally every day. Thanks to Drops, I can navigate any cardápio (menu) in São Paulo.
Pros:
- Truly gorgeous design
- 5-minute limit keeps you focused
- Great for visual learners
- Topics are actually useful
Cons: It's JUST vocabulary. No context, no grammar, no conversation. It's like learning to cook by memorizing ingredients but never learning recipes.
3. Duolingo – Everyone's First Ex
Best for: Building the habit before you know if you're serious
We all have a Duolingo story. Mine involves a 247-day streak that ended when I got dengue (yes, that's a thing here) and couldn't look at my phone without wanting to die. Do I credit Duolingo for my Portuguese? Não. Did it get me started? Sim.
Here's the truth about Duolingo: you'll learn to say "The elephant drinks milk" but not "Can you add less sugar to my coffee?" (menos açúcar no café, por favor – you're welcome).
Why it's still worth it:
- If you're not couting ads, it's free and I mean genuinely free (not "free trial" free)
- Addictive in a good way
- All your friends are probably already on it
- Gets you practicing daily
- The stories are actually pretty fun
Why you'll outgrow it: Nobody talks like Duolingo teaches. NOBODY. I once said "O senhor poderia me auxiliar?" (Could you assist me, sir?) to a bartender and he literally asked if I was being sarcastic. Also, the Portuguese course is pretty basic and only covers A1 level.
2. LingQ – Content Overload (In a Good Way)
Best for: When you're past "Oi, tudo bem?" and ready for real stuff
LingQ is ugly. There, I said it. The interface looks like it hasn't been updated since 2015. BUT – and this is a big but – it works. I've read entire Paulo Coelho books on here (judge me all you want, "O Alquimista" helped my Portuguese more than any textbook).
The thing is, you need to already know some Portuguese to make LingQ worth the price. It's not gonna teach you the basics. But once you can stumble through a paragraph, it's incredible for building vocabulary through context.
The good:
- Massive library (news, books, podcasts)
- Import anything you want
- Stats that make you feel accomplished
- The browser extension is actually useful
The bad: $12.99/month feels steep for what's essentially a glorified reading app.
1. Falando – Built for Brazilian Portuguese
Best for: People who want structure but also want to understand memes and street Portuguese
What, Falando is on the list, too? Who would've guessed! No, but for real - while this IS a marketing tactic devised to have you sign up for our free trial, I honestly believe you will find Falando helpful and you should give it a go if you're trying to learn Brazilian Portuguese.
What I love about Falando is that it does ONLY Brazilian Portuguese. No European Portuguese mixing things up, no generic "Portuguese" that sounds weird in Brazil because sentences were written for another language course and then machine-translated.
While the SRS system is clean, grammar descriptions are vast and there are numerous other practice modes, the killer feature for me is importing YouTube videos. I literally learned half my Portuguese from watching Porta dos Fundos sketches and letting Falando break down the vocabulary. Their AI explanations saved my ass countless times – like finally understanding why Brazilians say "tinha falado" instead of "havia falado" (both mean "had spoken" but guess which one people actually use?).
What works:
- Structured A1-C2 path that doesn't feel like school
- YouTube/article imports (I use this daily with news) and a ever-growing collection of videos
- Explains the WHY behind grammar
- Actually teaches you palavrão (just... be careful)
What's annoying: Still no proper mobile app – I use the web version on my phone and it's fine, but come on, guys. Also if you're on the free plan, you can only import 3 videos a day which is frustrating when you're binge-learning.
How I Actually Use These Apps (The São Paulo Subway Method)
Here's my actual routine, not some idealized version:
Morning (while pretending to work):
- Check Instagram, then guilt-open Falando for 10 minutes
- Import whatever article I'm procrastinating with into Falando
- Maybe do Anki reviews if I'm feeling masochistic
Commute (when I remember):
- Drops for 5 minutes if I get a seat
- LingQ if I'm standing and can hold my phone with one hand
- Usually just listen to podcasts Spotify, let's be honest
Evening (if I haven't given up on life):
- Catch up on the news with YouTube imports in Falando
- Sometimes Busuu if I need to feel productive
- Duolingo if I'm about to lose my streak
The truth? Consistency beats perfection. Even 10 minutes daily is better than weekend cramming sessions.
Why Brazilian Portuguese Matters (Beyond Not Sounding Like an Idiot)
Here's something these apps won't teach you: Brazilian Portuguese is a different beast from European Portuguese. It's not just accent – it's culture, it's rhythm, it's the way Brazilians see the world.
When you understand why Brazilians say "nossa" for literally everything (surprise, agreement, disappointment, existence), or why "imagina" means "you're welcome" (literally "imagine!"), you're not just learning a language. You're learning how 200 million people navigate life with humor, warmth, and an impressive ability to turn any situation into a story.
Real Talk: What Actually Works
After three years and eight apps, here's what I know:
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No app will make you fluent. Apps are tools. You still need to talk to actual humans. That Uber driver? Talk to them. The senhora at the feira? Talk to her. Your delivery guy? He's tired and probably wants to go but talk to him anyway!
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Pick 2-3 apps max. I use Falando for structure, Duolingo for competing with my friends, and Anki for drilling. Everything else is procrastination disguised as productivity.
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Watch Brazilian content. Apps teach you Portuguese. Brazilian YouTube teaches you Brazil. Big difference.
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Most important of all: learning a new language takes time.
The Bottom Line (Or "Moral da História")
Learning Brazilian Portuguese changed my life here. I went from tourist to... well, still a gringo, but a gringo who gets invited to churrascos, understands the jokes, and can argue about politics (poorly, but still).
These eight apps each played a role. Duolingo got me started. Falando gave me structure and taught me real Portuguese. LingQ pushed my comprehension. The others filled in gaps. But the real learning? That happened at botecos, in ubers, during discussions about why São Paulo pizza is better than Italian pizza (it's not, but I can argue about it in Portuguese now).
Pick your apps. Be consistent. Make mistakes. Talk to people. And remember: every Brazilian you meet will become your unofficial Portuguese teacher whether they signed up for it or not.
Boa sorte, e vai com tudo!