“Bus fare to San Francisco for only $1”
When I saw the online announcement that Megabus was doing a $1 promotional fare to San Francisco, I immediately bought several tickets. If I didn’t end up going I was only out a few bucks.
I started thinking of a reason why I would go to San Francisco other than to be a tourist, then I remembered that Street Smart Brazil, an online Portuguese school is based there. I emailed Luciana and she agreed to meet up for lunch. We met up at the Rio California in Oakland and had a nice chat in Portuguese before she agreed to do this interview for Brazilian Gringo.
:00 Introduction
1:00 What kind of students do you teach?
1:40 What are classes like?
2:40 What are the biggest difficulties students have learning Portuguese?
3:40 Can you learn Portuguese by only studying for 1-2 hours per week?
4:15 Whats the fastest one of your students learned Portuguese?
4:45 What kind of material does Street Smart Brazil use to teach Portuguese?
5:30 What are the advantages and disadvantages of software like Rosetta Stone?
6:20 The big problem of using audio and virtual courses to learn a language.
7:15 Embarrassing mistakes that come from bad translations
7:24 Confusing words that can get you in trouble in Brazil
8:15 A small pronunciation error that will make you a laughingstock at the bakery.
8:58 The nasally difference between bread and penis
9:18 Brazil and its famous “poop water”
9:53 Special offer for classes
If you are serious about moving to Brazil and teaching English in Brazil, you need to start learning Portuguese before you go. Street Smart Brazil offers you a way to learn from Brazilian Portuguese teachers anywhere you can connect to Skype. You’ll learn authentic Portuguese pronunciation and slang as it is actually spoken by real native speakers as opposed to the dry and boring Portuguese you learn from online resources.
You can learn more about online classes at Street Smart Brazil by clicking here.
The Street Smart Brazil blog is also worth checking out. Don’t forget to like the Facebook page.
