Customer Reviews

Behind the Wheel - Portuguese 1

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I have a few of the Behind the Wheel programs: Italian 1, French 1, Spanish 3 (and maybe German 1 in the future.) They are all very helpful tools in my language-learning collection. I like them because, unlike a lot of language programs, they are not geared exclusively to tourists. If you are really passionate about learning a language and understanding the grammar and being able to converse and make friends with other people (not just to order food, book a hotel, schedule a flight, etc.), these programs are definitely for you.

The Portuguese 1 edition is no exception. I think it's mainly Brazilian Portuguese because of certain words and spellings they use, but that is okay with me. You start off by learning the most basic of words (pretty much one-word sentences.) By the end of the program you will be able to say simple sentences (in the present, past, and future), ask questions, and know the basic vocabulary (numbers, days of the week, people, etc.) If you are diligent enough, you should be able to have basic conversations with native speakers.

As for the price, I think it is a bit high, but if you are serious about learning Portuguese, then it is worth the money. You get 8 CDs. Each CD is about an hour long, so you get over 8 hours of learning in total. That's comprable to other language programs I've seen on Amazon.com and at bookstores. In fact, I've seen programs with just 2 or 3 CDs that are around the same price.

This program also comes with a booklet with a complete transcript. I have to say, though, that I wished the booklet was more detailled. (The booklet is only 22 pages.) This is only because I also have the booklets for French 1 and Italian 1 which contain grammar explanations and exercises in addition to the transcripts. (The booklets are almost 100 pages each!) I had also purchased Essential Portuguese Grammar (Dover Books on Language) on Amazon for about $5, and that has helped a lot in serving as a supplement. The book is geared more toward European Portuguese though. For me, I enjoyed the balance and being able to recognize the differences between the two dialects.

Of course, this program will not make you fluent. You'll have to do other things as well. I know that there are already second (or third) levels in Spanish, Italian, French, and German. That's why I hope that they put out a Portuguese 2 (and 3) in the near future.