Our Approach

Learn Portuguese like you learn to ride a bike!

Exciting

Learning to ride a bicycle is one of the most memorable things in one’s life. Why? It meant freedom and a sense of accomplishment. It was a fun, enjoyable, even an exhilarating experience. Never would one describe it as a boring affair.

Learning a new language should have the same characteristics. Never  dull, never tedious. One should look forward to it. If the teachings techniques don’t fit these criteria, I won’t use them!

Unconscious

Question: When changing lanes in a motorway, how many steering wheel moves are needed? Take your time…

If you said two, one to veer to the other lane and one to straighten the wheels, you are now in the ditch! Hehe! You actually need an intermediate move to straighten the car into the second lane.

Interesting, right? You might not consciously have known the right answer, but your unconscious self certainly did. In fact, “unthinking” learning is faster and much effective. I will teach you how to use it to the full.

Long-lasting

The saying goes: “Once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget.” The same is not normally said of a second language. Can we change this?

Certainly! Permanent memory can be achieved in various ways. Unconscious learning goes a long way in that regard, but many other things are involved. The advanced techniques I use are designed to achieve memory longevity. I will also help you with tips on sleep patterns and even diet.

Did you know there’s one particular molecule in food which, driven by confusion, people avoid like the plague, but which is essential for memory? What about a food that you have everyday that is proven to create “brain fog”?

MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM

 

Cannot afford one to one tuition? We’ve been working hard on an affordable membership program. We call it: Carla’s Babies Program!

 

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Science Based Foundations

Linguistics

Language is more than a set of structural rules and vocabulary. One can only teach a new tongue with all it’s nuances when one has a deep cultural and coloquial understanding of it. I hope to deliver on that.

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Brain Functioning

Humans learn in many ways and the brain can be excited through many avenues. Also, any “extra-curricular” activities have a deep impact on the capacity to understand and retain information.

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Research Work

Most teaching institutions have been stuck to the traditionally accepted methods of teaching. But as researchers find more effective systems, we should be quick to implement them.

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Advantages of One-To-One Lessons

Flexible

Flexible

Arrange a time that is suitable for you. Easier to reschedule lesson as there is only one student at a time.

 

Quicker

Quicker

One to one teaching allows for a more intensive and focused learning period. As a result, the progress will be noticeably quickened.


Less Intimidating

Less Intimidating

Being part a a class can hinder the progress of a more shy student. I always strive to make it a peasant and informal lesson.

 

Personalised

Personalised

I will create a curriculum that is tailored for you. We will focus on your goals. No need to worry about a third person.


Undivided Attention

Undivided Attention

This is extremely helpful if a student is struggling with a subject or has extra questions. No waiting periods. No waste of time.

 

Cultural Knowledge

Cultural Knowledge

Having a one to one session allows the student to come to a deeper grasp of the teachers cultural background, and by extension, the language’s.


Innovative Teaching Techniques

Fun

Fun

Unlike your experience at school, I won’t do much talking myself. No thick books to study. We can do better than that.

 

Engaging

Engaging

You cannot expect a student to learn when he’s bored. My techniques will help you concentrate and be motivated.

Science-Based

Science-Based

Some methods work better than others. I’ve looked at the brain research and can tell you what works.

 

Ageless

Ageless

It’s true that learning gets tougher with age. But even my 60 plus year old students make really good progress.


Diverse

Diverse

Over 12 different techniques. No sitting in a chair for very long. Ever thought juggling might help you learn?

 

Unfading

Unfading

The brain has three stages of memory: sensory, working and long-term. I will help you shift information to the third level.


Unconscious

Unconscious

Do you remember how you learned to speak? No! Most learning is done in the background. Let’s exploit that.

 

Accelerated

Accelerated

Learning Portuguese in 4 weeks? Impossible! But with these techniques, we can accelerate the progress.


Testimonials

  • I decided to learn Portuguese as a matter of “survival” after having spent another Christmas alone in the company of my boyfriend’s family – whom, whilst being extremely warm and welcoming, don’t speak any English. Initially, I tried using audio-courses. However, I found that learning set phrases without understanding the sentence structure was quite limiting and didn’t enable me to engage in conversation. I found Carla’s website via a learning Portuguese blog recommendation and booked my first free session. I immediately felt at ease with Carla whose approach is relaxed, flexible, and (importantly for a self-critical person) both encouraging and light humoured. When I first started my lessons, I was living abroad and travelling extensively with work. Having flexible Skype lessons enabled me to fit in language learning and to make progress although I couldn’t dedicate as much time to it as I would have liked. Carla also makes a big effort to help integrate Portuguese learning into everyday life - both to speed up progress and to make it less of a chore. For example, by trying to speak to my boyfriend in Portuguese for 10 minutes a day, to listen to Portuguese music, to watch Portuguese TV, to cook a Portuguese recipe etc. After a year of learning Portuguese with Carla, I returned to Portugal to visit my boyfriend’s family. Although I still struggled to follow conversations (especially as culturally several people tend to speak at the same time AND very fast!) I felt much more engaged. In addition, I saw how much it meant to by boyfriend’s parents that I was making an effort to be part of the family. I would highly recommend Carla to anyone wishing to learn European Portuguese. Muito obrigada Carla! Bj Charlotte x
    Charlotte, 35
  • "Learning with Carla was great fun. It was refreshing to have a relaxed and entertaining teacher who keeps your learning targets on track.

    She was strict but very supportive and was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses, and set clear goals depending on them. In only a couple of lessons I had learned useful parts of the language and I look forward to continuing them."

    Stuart, 22
  • "Carla is the perfect language teacher. She makes the lessons and coursework fun and engaging. The exercises are never boring, and with her patience and encouragement, she helped me start conversing in Portuguese on the very first day. I highly recommend Carla for learning Portuguese, even (or especially) if you think you're "not good" at learning languages."
    Joni, 33
  • "Carla is a gem! She’s patient, funny & fun, and give you information in bite-sized pieces so you learn easier. She pushes you— challenges you per se, but in an encouraging way. She puts in as much as you do if not more. Whoever wants to learn Portuguese should use Carla- she’s been great- enjoyed every minute. Obrigada Carla! A million thanks!"
    Niki, 28
  • "During our lessons, Carla went above and beyond my expectations. She let the lessons run their natural flow at the same time focusing on explaining the grammatical and cultural points of expressions and rules. I greatly appreciate Carla’s flexibility and adaptability to my particular language level and the goals I have set - thank you very much for everything e até à próxima."
    Agata, 24
  • Having absolutely loved visiting Portugal once before many years ago but having felt quite guilty only relying on English – or my missus’ Spanish – I decided that the next time around I would try to come (better) prepared. So I started looking for Portuguese classes, courses, resources and whatnot that were NOT Brazilian – which was a challenge in itself, frankly – and luckily managed to stumbled across the lovely Carla... who’s a local too, as we live in the same city. That was surely a sign! Through a mixture of face-to-face lessons and Skype conversations, roughly 20 in total, Carla was welcoming, patient and skilled enough to get through this old and lazy brain of mine and instil a lot of Portuguese knowledge. From the basics – I was an absolute beginner – to the day to day nitty gritty stuff, the sort of fundamental building blocks that actually help you get things done once in country. On top of that, Carla and her husband Marlon run a weekly free podcast and an insightful website where you can practice your Portuguese skills even more. The humorous banter between the two of them alone will be well worth your time! So, despite my chronic laziness, my pseudo-Russian pronunciation, and my slow moving neurons, I finally went back to Portugal and had an absolute blast. I am no more than a slightly less beginner and it’s all true, they DO speak unbelievably fast and they all seem to speak English. But it’s in those moments when they don’t (like at the local hospital, but that’s a story for another time...), in those moments when those beautifully alien sounds click in your head, it’s in those wax on/wax off moments that it dawned on me what an incredible – and helpful! – feeling it is to know a new language. And for that, I have to thank the wonderful Sabalas. I hope you will have the pleasure of meeting them too, one day. Obrigadinho, Carla e Marlon, um forte abraço!  
    Paolo, 36
  • "Learning Portuguese with Carla is always enjoyable, and I can thoroughly recommend studying with her! I’ve taken 10 lessons with her to date, and can honestly say I have learned a huge amount and that my Portuguese has improved significantly! Our lessons are always different, focusing on different language skills and Carla is such a positive and cheerful teacher, you cannot help but learn with her and improve. I definitely  intend to continue taking lessons with her indefinitely as with her help I’m sure I can become fluent!"
    James, 39
  • "I asked Carla to teach me Portuguese in order that I could enjoy my holidays there fully. Her relaxed and informal style worked and I benefited immediately."
    Paul, 55
  • "Learning Portuguese with Carla is being enjoyable and very rewarding. I have only done a month of classes, and I can see the improvements. She has a very flexible style and adapts herself to your needs. I personally need to learn Portuguese for Business needs, and she always try to relate everything we learn to my specific needs.  Eu recomendo aprender Português com Carla."
    Sara, 25
  • "I was very nervous about trying to learn a new language but soon found it to be an enjoyable experience because of Carla's ability to make it interesting. I feel I can use the lessons I learned to good effect in practise."
    Julia, 53
  • "A long time ago I studied Portuguese at University. I'm going to Portugal for my holiday and I wanted to study Portuguese again. I didn't want to travel and I didn't want to learn Brazilian Portuguese. I have a very busy life and when I found Carla's website I found it very convenient. It was easy to book and pay. Carla is a very attentive and kind teacher and although have a lot to learn I now understand much more than before. I can recommend Carla without hesitation.”
    Liz
  • I'm a beginner in Portuguese, who's been learning with Carla for just over a year now. Always friendly, encouraging and enthusiastic, her lessons are fun - the perfect balance of conversation and more focused exercises. Outside of classes, she goes above and beyond, making herself available to mark daily Portuguese journal entries, and providing a range of learning materials including weekly podcasts and blog entries. I can't recommend her highly enough. Muito obrigado, Carla.
    Tom, 31
More

Ordinary Teaching

Proper Way of Teaching

  • Forceful memorisation of words, expressions, verbs, etc.

    Use of stories, associations, parables, illustrations and more.

  • Stressful examination

    Unconscious, naturally rewarding progress

  • Only one sense engaged

    Vision, audition, smell. Stimulate all.

  • Written text only

    Use of video, imagery, audio, text and more.

  • One size fits all

    Every brain is wired differently

  • Forever sitting down

    Engaging your whole body

  • Teacher talks profusely

    Teacher only guides, no sermons allowed

  • Confined to classroom

    Sleep, diet, supplements, exercise, all of this is involved in learning

  • 90' long lessons

    10' long lessons

 

HD Lessons from Anywhere

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Lessons can be taken on virtually any digital device, mobile or not, in HD quality. All you need is a browser, Skype or another app that you prefer for video conference.

Booking lessons is done on either end via a sophisticated system. Everything is taken care of automatically, you will have your own dashboard and even receive a reminder just before a session starts.

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Allow me to introduce myself…

I’ve prepared a little video to let you know who exactly this “Carla” is that you can learn Portuguese with.