Ready to kick your Portuguese skills up a notch? To learn to speak like a native, you’ll need to look beyond language books and apps. The best way to master a language is full immersion - you’ll pick up slang and conversational phrases you won’t find in lesson books and exercises.
When immersion isn’t possible, you can work on strategically adding more Portuguese into your everyday routine. The good news is, there are a ton of great Portuguese-language movies, TV shows, and music for you to explore.
Check out some of our favorite resources below. Most of these are centered around Brazilian Portuguese, but there are a few news sources from Portugal as well.
Movies
In this Brazilian romantic comedy, an experienced couples therapist realizes she might need help with her own marriage after taking on a new pair of young clients.
If you’re in the mood for a documentary, check out this 2017 film about Brazilian cartoonist Laerte Coutinho coming out as a transgender woman.
Understanding jokes in a different language isn’t easy...which is exactly why you should expose yourself to them! Watch Marco Luque’s standup special about relationships, regional differences, and his love of music. Let us know how funny you think it is.
If you’re going through a breakup, try this quirky, deadpan rom com that follows a Brazilian man who’s having a hard time moving on after a breakup.
In this Brazilian western, a reclusive man sets out to discover what happened to his gunman father, and in the process becomes a feared killer himself. It probably goes without saying, but this one is a bit violent.
TV Shows
A police officer’s family is threatened when he tries to take down a money-laundering criminal. There are two seasons of this series so far, and it’s loosely based on real events. Watch this if you’re in the mood for a political drama.
For something more lighthearted, try Samatha! The Brazilian sitcom follows an 80’s child star as she struggles to remain in the spotlight. To be honest, we’d probably check this one out even if we weren’t working on our Portuguese.
Who doesn’t love a supernatural teen series? This one is a horror mystery that takes place in the district of Liberdade, the Japanese neighbourhood of Sao Paulo.
Ah, who doesn’t love a good reality TV show? In this series, six singles meet five different blind dates. Bonus reasons to watch this one: you’ll pick up more conversational vocab, and you can witness what dating is like in Brazil.
In this short comedy series, four female comedians riff on sexuality, politics, motherhood, and religion. At just 15 minutes per episode, these are great for when you want to get some practice in but you’re short on time.
Podcasts
Mamilos is a weekly podcast that covers memes, trending topics, and controversies, and yes, it does translate to "nipples." Each Friday, they host a different guest to discuss the Internet’s most popular recent topics.
Check out this one if you love to read. The hosts discuss literature and often include interviews with authors.
This one is specifically for Portuguese learners, so it’s great if you’re a beginner.
News
Check out these top news sources in Brazil:
And these major sources in Portugal:
Music
Vai Anitta (Two-for-one: music and a TV series with this biographical documentary about Brazlian pop icon Anitta.)
And we can’t forget this absolute classic by Michel Teló
Let us know which of these end up being your favorites, and boa sorte!
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