The Language Unschool

The amount of people that come to me saying "you're my last bet" is astonishing. People have put in hours, tons of money, patience, tried different tutors and courses, Instagram account and YouTube videos.. Sure, they've learnt something, they can manage alright at shops and at restaurants (I wonder) they pretend they are tourists so as not to feel ashamed they can't string a sentence together.

The main stumbling block, even for a vaguely Portuguese pronunciation that, for a moment, can fool a local, is not to be able to understand what we say. It scares people, it stops people, it makes them hide from the neighbour. But why did you bother uprooting your life, leaving family and friends behind after all?

This Unschooler wants friends and she shall have them. I'm providing the structure, the support, the feedback. She's already impressed two people with a simple greeting, said in a more native way (with as much swallowed up as possible ;)).

And now this: she takes a break from it all while on holiday and listens to an A1 podcast (I imagine it's Cinderella Portuguese, but I didn't even bother to ask her). This is when such content is relevant because all Unschoolers who go back to such content realize:
-this is too easy
-I understand this
And in this specific case:
-I didn't translate in my head first.

I've learnt a bunch of other languages and there's nothing like the feeling of speaking in and understanding the message directly in the language you're learning, without resorting to third party! It's just you and Portuguese now.

thelanguageunschool.com/apply

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1 month ago | [YT] | 6

The Language Unschool

Take leaps forward in your understanding of European Portuguese!

Are you joining The Language Unschool to start "hearing things"?

Apply here: thelanguageunschool.com/apply

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1 month ago | [YT] | 5

The Language Unschool

Enough with the frustration!

Let 2026 be the year you start finding your voice in Portuguese!

Learn to understand European Portuguese at The Language Unschool: thelanguageunschool.com/apply

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1 month ago | [YT] | 4

The Language Unschool

End of the year tip!

And last chance to become a Portuguese Unschooler in 2025. Apply to The Language Unschool here: thelanguageunschool.com/apply and start 2026 in better linguistic shape.

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1 month ago | [YT] | 4

The Language Unschool

We shall not leave your Portuguese pronunciation behind!

What do you think: you can't understand because you can't pronounce or you can't pronounce because you can't understand?

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1 month ago | [YT] | 4

The Language Unschool

Grammar or no grammar?

Do you want to understand and speak Portuguese while feeling supported in the process, apply to The Language Unschool here: thelanguageunschool.com/apply

(we'll see how much grammar and how you can handle)

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Language Unschool

When you got language covered, life in Portugal is much easier (sorry, but I can't help with non-linguistic related challenges 😅).

Fancy that? Apply here to The Language Unschool thelanguageunschool.com/apply

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1 month ago | [YT] | 3

The Language Unschool

Learning a foreign language as an adult can be overwhelming.

There's all the excuses and real constraints like time management; juggling work, kids, moving your whole life abroad; bureaucracy; self-doubt; self-confidence; hearing loss; memory loss; too much choice in what comes to courses, apps and tutors; lack of awareness of how your brain learns best…

I could go on, but you get the idea. I've either felt some of these struggles while learning 11 foreign languages (most got worse as I grow older) or these are things I see day in and day out with my Unschoolers.

What I can tell you is:

The moment you have real support, someone who looks at who you are, how you learn best, where you are in life, what's stopping you from finding your voice in Portuguese, nothing stops you.

You forget about goals of perfect fluency, you start noticing how Portuguese feels more and more like your own language, and you know you can ask for help and advice whenever things get hard (they normally do…).

I'm not claiming I'll be able to help everyone, to be that mother figure you can always go back to, even when you're more independent in Portuguese. That I save for those who choose to become Portuguese Unschoolers.

But this Sunday, for one hour you can pick my brains on all the experience I've built over 34 years and ask me anything related to learning Portuguese.

A friend just asked me what I like to do, how I see the world and I said: through language.

This is my Christmas gift to you: to answer your questions so you can have a voice in my own country.

What: Xmas Q&A by The Language Unschool
When: Sunday, 14th Dec 2025 @ 4:30 pm (Lisbon time)
Where: Zoom meeting
Register here: thelanguageunschool.com/xmasqa

2 months ago | [YT] | 5

The Language Unschool

Do you dare to speak Portuguese?
If you're a Portuguese Unschooler, you bet!
Apply to my program here: thelanguageunschool.com/apply. You'll understand us better and finally dare the speak.

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2 months ago | [YT] | 3

The Language Unschool

I hear it again and again: "I've stopped translating things in my head." The Stories I created within Portuguese Start help you listen to real Portuguese with enough repetition that your brain finally starts recognizing the patterns. And then, almost like magic, you UNDERSTAND spoken Portuguese.

If you'd like to find out if the Unschooling approach is the right one for you, let's talk!
thelanguageunschool.com/apply

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4 months ago | [YT] | 1