Review & Testimonials
Our goal is to get you speaking and understanding European Portuguese. Our students review us continuously and we take all feedback to heart.
Muito obrigada - Thank you very much to the students who have taken the time to write these testimonials. We posted the latest feedback below. See what they say about their learning journey.
Groups | Self-Study | Private Lessons | Masterclasses | CIPLE Exam preparation
To find out more about our courses select ‘Start here” from the main menu.
Group classes
“Emma’s courses are a breath of fresh air in the language-learning world. I was amazed when I enrolled on my first course with her at just how much material and support was available to me. Weekly classes online in small groups that allow plenty of time for personal support and feedback, and class notes sent after each lesson. But that’s not all, she sends you a detailed worksheet each week with an accompanying video, and the class activities sheet so that you can prepare for the lesson. You get these five days in advance of each lesson. And if that wasn’t enough you also get free access to a whole host of games, flashcards, and memory exercises via an online Quizlet package. Oh and a free thirty minute online conversation class each week with other students too!
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"This really is an amazing package at an extremely reasonable price. In less than two terms, I am already beginning to really understand how the Portuguese language is structured, and the repetition subtly included in each week’s lessons means that I am also remembering words and phrases more easily. And my pronunciation is also improving (at last!)
I can highly recommend Emma’s classes to anyone that is serious about learning European Portuguese.
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“I really liked the interaction and friendliness of the classes, the laid back and smooth calming aproach is very welcoming to me. With quizlet alongside the learning, you always feel supported and encouraged.
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“My Portuguese has improved a great deal since beginning my studying with Emma.I find her way of teaching easy to understand and learn. Prices are very reasonable and I prefer to pay for a class in which I learn a great deal, rather than a free class where I barely learn anything.
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“Emma approaches both lessons and courses with empathy; fully understanding the challenges of gaining competency in Portuguese. She is also a natural teacher; the classes are well thought out, with topical and interesting exercises; well paced with the right level of challenge and stretch. Emma’s style also creates a relaxing environment, conducive to learning. You always leave the lesson feeling you have achieved something. I very much enjoy them, and will continue to attend until I have reached my target. Highly recommend anyone at any level to join!
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“Fabulous lessons, Emma is a lovely calm teacher who especially improved my confidence when speaking Portuguese. I had always found languages very difficult and didn't understand but Emma has a gift and I've actually learnt, we both have and we just want to say: muito obrigado amigo.
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“Easy - EMMA stands for Enthusiastic and Encouraging, Motivating and Manageable, Awesome A plus plus teacher.
Seriously if you are considering improving your Portuguese - to any degree, look no further. I doubt you will find any other British speaking Portuguese teacher that will have such an effortless and infectious style of teaching. Emma really does bring everything down to the smallest manageable chunks so that you feel immediately you are making progress and she doesn't labour you with the boring grammar - only the parts that you really need to know to make the difference in moving forward.
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“These classes are excellent! You are provided with lots of information/ worksheets in preparation for the group classes, and follow up practice sheets after the lessons. The content and presentation is professional but friendly and email queries are responded to quickly. The weekly pre-class youtube videos explain the subject clearly and the Quizlet flashcards and games help you to learn the vocabulary and grammar.
Self-Study
“Quizlet is a great way of learning as it continually reinforces what you get wrong, so that you learn thoroughly and correctly.
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“I have used the intermediate self-study sets for a few months and find them very helpful. The weekly article challenges my reading skills with new vocabulary and content that demonstrates ‘real life’ language. I have at times used the article as the basis of conversation with my Portuguese neighbours. I also appreciate the additional content, particularly the phrases and word combinations that aid in understanding and being understood. The Quizlet app is a great learning resource, allowing various and fun ways of learning and practicing the new content. The weekly delivery of the study sets provides a good motivation for independent study and can supplement face - to - face classes.
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“Very thorough and enjoyable. I like the advice given, i.e. “this word is more common”.
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“I love Emma's lessons! Easy to use and easy to understand. One of the biggest issues I have had learning this difficult language is the fact that most tutors want us to learn the grammar first.
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Emma's lesson are fun and simple, and they make me want to do them more and more. I love the little tests and feel so proud when I occasionally get 100%. It's a brilliant way to learn and like I said, Emma's lessons are fun, making it easier all round.
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“I find learning Portuguese with the Quizlet sets Emma creates, fun and never boring. It has increased my Portuguese vocabulary, and has helped me to better understand when I am being spoken to. I especially enjoy the idioms sets, it is very interesting trying to understand them. :)
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“Most enjoyable, very well structured with comprehensive support & material
Private Lessons
”I followed Emma’s Skype lessons for over a year in preparation for my permanent move to Portugal. Thanks to Emma I went from being a complete beginner to someone able to hold a conversation. Since moving, I have even been able to deal with Portuguese administration without any help!
Emma tailored lessons to suit my needs and Quizlet has been an added bonus; incredible value for money.
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“The lessons from Emma are brilliant. Emma is a language teacher who can not only explain the complexities of the Portuguese language but also has a very good knowledge of the psychology of learning a new language. I have taught people how to speak English clearly for 24 years but I have found that having the confidence to speak Portuguese has been difficult, Emma has understood my fears and has tailored the lessons to suit me. She keeps me up to date with all the latest ideas and is happy to pass on all her knowledge to her pupils.
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“We are both in our 60’s and thought that learning a new language, at our age, would be impossible. Emma is professional, knowledgeable and encouraging. All lessons are relevant and she makes them so interesting that you can’t help but progress. We highly recommend her.
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“I was nervous about learning a new language, especially one where i could only practice through distance learning.. but Emma has been wonderful. Just giving me the confidence to go into the local shop and asking for the basics helped me immensely with settling in. 1-1 lessons with quizlet to practice in between has been so helpful, thanks Emma
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“Learning a new language as an adult can be a challenge, but with Emma's professional approach it is mostly fun and rewarding. We have gone from not knowing any Portuguese at all to being able to have nice little chats with our neighbours, going to the market or even the doctors - and all in a couple of months! Lessons are tailored to suit your specific needs, and Quizlet is a very good tool for both repetition and new skills. Maybe most importantly - Emma really keeps your motivation up when it's needed!
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“We have been studying for a couple of months with Emma, and loved every moment. She is an excellent teacher, well experienced, full of patience and very creative. In particular, we appreciate the emphasis on the foreigner’s point of view; pronunciation and daily exercises. Most recommended!!!
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“Being dyslexic I struggle with the English language let alone a foreign one but Emma has tailored her approach to teaching for me and makes it much more manageable and fun to learn than I could have possibly hoped for. Would highly recommend this language school, not just for this, but because they are great value for money and the background support and assistance you get to help you learn is awesome too!
Masterclasses
What did you learn from joining the Pronunciation Masterclass series?
“My pronunciation of the Portuguese language has improved.
“A better grasps of why Portuguese is pronounced the way it is. That it is not random and there are rules for the way it works out.
“A much better understanding of the principles governing the pronunciation of Portuguese.
“Understanding of when Portuguese shorten their words
“The importance of speaking in a certain way, ie rhythm, word connection and specific pronunciations of letters and combination of letters, to make yourself better understood.
“A better understanding of how Portuguese works!
“A much better 'ear' for hearing Portuguese words when I am talking to people and a better understanding of how words run together.
“Better understanding on how Portuguese speak 'normally'
“You explained some of the anomalies that we hear, but have never been put into words before.
“Clearer idea of how and when pronunciation of certain letters varies
CIPLE Exam preparation
“ I had the specific goal of passing the Portuguese CIPLE A2 exam which is needed to apply for citizenship. Skype lessons with Emma covered all aspects of the exam, I found the homework particularly useful. For me this was much more effective than other courses or self study programs. Also I passed first time.
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“I enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the other students and learn from their experience and knowledge. If you have to do the exam, knowing that others are sharing the pain is a wonderful thing!
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“It was good to know what to expect and Emma gave us some very useful hints in her prep material.
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“I enjoyed all the class activities and meeting fellow students (on-line via Zoom). The quality of the course material was very good and very useful.