Portuguese Language Program Objective
A F International offers Portuguese language courses to individuals and
companies. Our Brazilian Portuguese courses have been designed to build
fluency in both the spoken and the written language. Communication in a
warm and relaxed environment is an important feature of our programs, as
is homework, which includes exercises for review and practice of the material
taught in class.
Beginning Portuguese Level 1
Upon completion of this course, students can expect to be able to hold basic
conversations about their daily activities using present and future tenses.
This course aims to provide beginning students with a practical command
of the vocabulary and grammar of the language. Topics include phonetics,
expressions of time and quantity, subject pronouns, articles, possessives,
interrogatives, and the present indicative, present progressive and compound
future tenses of common verbs.
(Travessia, Preliminary Unit-Unit Three, Part One)
Beginning Portuguese Level 2
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to converse with
greater ease on an increasing range of topics as well as being able to read
and write longer texts. Building upon the basic foundation provided in Level
1, topics include prepositions, contractions, irregular verbs, demonstrative
pronouns, ordinal numbers, adverbs, pronouns and tag questions. Students
develop their ability to conjugate verbs in the preterit imperfect, preterit
perfect, past progressive and present indicative verb tenses.
(Travessia, Unit Three, Part Two-Unit Five)
Beginning Portuguese Level 3
Building upon the skills studied in Level 2, students rapidly expand their
vocabulary and begin to express themselves more precisely as they learn
to use the simple future, past perfect and subjunctive tenses. Among the
topics introduced at this level are idiomatic expressions, object pronouns,
reflexive verbs, comparative and superlative forms, telling time, adverbs,
and the passive voice.
(Travessia, Unit Six-Unit Eight, Part One)
Intermediate Portuguese Level 4
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to discuss with
greater precision topics including Southeastern and Southwestern Brazil,
travel, study, work and festive occasions. Building upon the skills already
acquired, students study reflexive verbs and pronouns, linking words, adjective
and adverb clauses, diminutive and augmentative forms, and the preterit
future tense.
(Travessia, Unit Eight, Part Two-Unit Ten)
Intermediate Portuguese Level 5
For students who wish to further expand their skills, this course introduces
more advanced topics including the compound subjunctive and the personal
infinitive. This course helps students to tie together all the elements
of grammar and usage covered up to this point. Students practice and refine
their skills by discussing topics including Southern Brazil, media, sports
and other social activities, clothing, parts of the body and health.
(Travessia, Units Eleven and Twelve)
Conversational Portuguese
This program is designed for students who are already proficient in the
skills taught in Levels 1-5 and who want to increase their conversational
abilities. Conducted entirely in Portuguese, this course provides students
with an opportunity to markedly improve their speaking and listening skills.
Magazines, video and audio tapes, and other resources designed to provide
practical opportunities for vocabulary and skill development are selected
to match student interests. Grammatical topics are addressed as needed.
Text and Supplementary Materials
Since communication in a foreign language requires an understanding of the
cultural context, our aim is to teach you the living language through carefully
selected textbooks, newspaper and magazine articles and other relevant materials,
rather than have you repeat and memorize tourist phrases.
We have reviewed many university-level
Portuguese textbooks and have selected Travessia as the one that best fulfills
the objectives of our students in beginning and intermediate levels. |
