Portuguese Level 3

Portuguese Level 3

Course Description

Level 3 Classes: this course is suitable for learners who feel comfortable with the material covered in Levels 1 and 2. You will already be able to communicate basic needs, use familiar everyday expressions, and talk simply about yourself and your daily activities using the present tense. In this course, we will revise and consolidate key language concepts to ensure mastery and introduce the use of the past perfect. By the end of the course, you will be able to describe some of your past experiences, give the location of objects and buildings, compare options, and express simple future plans, preferences, and choices. 

In Level 3, we work at the A2 level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)*. 

Term duration: 9x weekly 2-hour classes, Monday evenings, 6:15pm to 8:30pm. 

No class on Mon 4 May and Mon 25 May. Your final class will finish at 8:15pm.

Communicative themes may include:  

Describing yourself, family, friends and daily activities and habits. 

Talking about personal preferences and justifying opinions. 

Asking and answering questions about date and time of events. 

Asking for and giving directions; describing the location of buildings and the position of objects. 

Describing simple facts, actions and events in the past perfect tense. 

Talking about people and objects in relation to the speaker and listener. 

Key grammatical points covered include: 

Exceptions to the use of ser and estar: a porta está sempre fechada. 

Revision of irregular verbs in the present tense and of contraction of prepositions with articles: tu vais (ir) para casa, fazes (fazer) o jantar, e eu vou ao cabeleireiro e às compras. 

Revision of verbs and adverbs to describe location of buildings and directions: o banco fica ao lado do supermercado; para chegar ao banco você atravessa a rua e vira à direita. 

Regular verbs in the past perfect: eu andei, eu comi, eu parti. 

Irregular verbs in the past perfect: eu fui professora e tive muitos alunos. 

Differences in the use of the past perfect and imperfect: enquanto eu jantava, o telefone tocou. 

Verbs of special usage and meaning: apanhar, por, dar. 

Demonstrative pronouns and their relation to the speaker and listener: este carro, essa camisola, aquelas flores. 

Adverbs that replace present perfect tenses in English: ainda não fiz o jantar, mas já fiz as compras. 

Please note that we adapt the pace of the class to the needs and interests of the group, so the listed themes and grammar may be subject to change and are not meant to be exhaustive. 

 Homework may be set between classes, though we do understand that the constraints of everyday life may make it difficult to complete at times. You are under no obligation to complete the homework, but revision of the weekly lessons is strongly encouraged to allow you to make excellent progress and benefit fully from the course. 

Each week you will practise most if not all four communicative skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing). You will be encouraged to take an active part in all activities which can include games, pair and group work as well as individual tasks. We aim to establish a friendly, inclusive atmosphere in the classroom so that all students can express themselves freely and increase their confidence. 

 *CEFR levels indicated on our level descriptors are not a guarantee that you can take the associated Portuguese exam for this level. If you would like to take an external Portuguese exam, please speak to your tutor to discuss what they think would be most appropriate