Learning a language is also learning a culture. This two-level introductory Portuguese program combines practical language instruction with an exploration of Brazilian culture. Rather than teaching Portuguese exclusively through grammar, the course uses music, food, traditions, geography, history, art, literature, and everyday situations to help students understand how the language is actually used in Brazilian life. Students will gain cultural and linguistic knowledge useful for travel, business, professional networking, and exploring opportunities in Brazil.

Sissi Abreu is a journalist, author, artist, and cultural entrepreneur with more than four decades of experience in communications, education, and the arts. Originally from Brazil and based in the United States since 2000, she has dedicated her career to promoting cross-cultural understanding through language, media, literature, music, and visual arts. She is the founder of Cultural Integration Media Group and Forum Arts Inc., where she develops educational programs and creative projects that connect people through culture, communication, and artistic expression.

Level 1 introduces students to the fundamentals of Brazilian Portuguese. Students learn essential vocabulary, pronunciation, greetings, basic sentence structures, numbers, time, and everyday expressions while being introduced to Brazilian geography, customs, music, food, and social interaction. Level 1 provides a practical foundation for beginning conversations in Brazilian Portuguese and a basic understanding of Brazilian culture.

Level 2 builds upon the foundations established in Level 1. Students expand their vocabulary, improve conversational confidence, develop listening comprehension, and begin using Portuguese in more complex everyday situations. Cultural content becomes increasingly integrated into language practice through music, film, literature, food, regional traditions, and contemporary Brazilian society. Students completing Level 2 will have expanded their practical Portuguese communication skills and developed greater confidence using the language in everyday, travel, and cultural situations.