toots sweet

I have an old book (well at least 30 years old) that I have just dusted off and started to use again. I find it quite useful because it imitates the pronunciation of each word. Though I'm a bit further on than the beginners stage with Portuguese I still have difficulty listening to them when speaking.Get quite a thrill when i can understand a few words on the TV news. I like the way it works with small translation exercises as you progress.
It is Hugo's "Portuguese in 3 months."
Don't know if it is still printed but I think you may be able to 2nd hand copies.

bons

I learned a good deal of Spanish with that series. I tried to get hold of Hugo for Portuguese but couldn't find one, I think it's out of print.

eta: Just look on ebay and they have some, but only the books,no tape or cds.

bons

Is that European or Brazilian Portuguese?

toots sweet

Looks European to me.

ricko

I have the same difficulty, but at a less advanced stage than you,,I can say a few phrases but can't undertand even short replies.
I did an online search and found that this is a common problem, listening skills take a lot longer time to develop.
A major problem appears to be finding listening materials appropriate to your stage in learning.

CALewis

What about push and pull being the ‘wrong’ way round in português?!! How many times have I banged my head in a door that says puxe!

I have deepl.com open all the time on my phone. I often go into the local admin offices with my reason for being there already translated by deepl and just show them the phone. They don’t mind. I know hundreds of Portuguese words but my pronunciation is apparently beyond the ability of most Portuguese to understand me so I let my Belgian husband do the talking as they seem to understand him better.

toots sweet

Ha! I know hundreds of Portuguese words too , so why can't I make a sentence out of them !!

macliam

I also try to push on a door marked "puxe", just because the word seems similar to push.......... But it's not that Portuguese has it "the wrong way round", after all, the Portuguese word for push doesn't sound anything like "pull", does it?

Your Belgian husband's familiarity with nasal sounds probably gives him an advantage in pronunciation, since most English speakers seem to have a problem with them..... I've met many expats who can't even pronounce the name of a neighbouring town, let alone hold a conversation!

CALewis

My Portuguese friend’s kids have hours of fun teaching me simple Portuguese words and then listening to my attempts at pronunciation.

But on the positive side, I have noticed that after two years here, I am starting to pick out a lot of words and even occasionally understand things that are said to me. I can now even hold short conversations with that horror of horrors the delivery driver phoning up to find out where your house is…….

sam349

I've got the Hugo book - it's pretty good, particularly if you've got a very basic level already in place (it gets advanced quickly..! But if you like fast learning, grammar and are dedicated, I think it's good). I dip in and out of it. The accompanying CDs / audio was out of circulation - i contacted the publisher a few years ago and they confirmed they weren't supplying it any more. I managed to get a copy of the CD/ audio from ebay (after looking for ages), so you can try there, or if you have issues, let me know.

Geronimal

Hi Sam349, I have that book and it’s frustrating the heck out of me because the CD was lost in transit. I also contacted the publishers, asking if the sound files were available to purchase and download. They passed the request to their IT but nothing, that was over a year ago and now I don’t get any response from them. It’s a shame because the book is useful, I’ll keep trying.

ricko

I've just found this video that explains the different sounds of the letter S.
It's even more complicated than I thought.




They also have a Word of the Week.

ricko

In case the link doesn't show, try:

You Tube

bons

Thanks for that, just what I need.