Hey guys, Hope everyone is good. I’ve been studying portuguese now for about 3 months, and having previously studied spanish for over 2 years I am now finding that I’m able to read through far more advanced portuguese material compared to 3 months after I started Spanish. Now obviously this is because of the many similarities between the two languages, But my question is regarding how to practice and improve my listening skill in portuguese. It may sound silly but i’ve almost forgotten how I did it with spanish. Obviously with most languages it’s the listening comprehension that comes later on, but because i’m already at an intermediate level reading wise thanks to my spanish, it’s kind of made me wonder what is the best way to tackle improving listening? will I really have to listen to really really easy boring content and go from there? or should I just watch the same sort of history channel documentaries I watch in spanish, but in Portuguese and just see how it goes. As always, suggestions and advice would be reeeaallly helpful!!
Hello Corin! In my opinion. I think you should listen to some challenging things that is interesting to you. If you listen to the same old boring things, well you’ll just fizzle instead of sizzling your experience with the language. Listen and read things that are not too hard, but yet not too easy. Don’t forget do read and listen to something that is interesting to you to be keep you motivated.
I think my problem is more that the stuff I am studying now is a perfect level for my reading, but not for the level of listening im at. And so Im wondering if in order to improve my listening I will have to listen to stuff that doesnt improve my reading level because its very simple.
Sometimes simplicity is good or however that saying goes, but in this case the easier podcasts may not help you improve. I recommend trying to do some intense listening to what you like. Just keep listening over and over, even though you may not get what they’re saying. You have to expose yourself to the harder content and make lingqs( If you’re a paying member, then you can make all the lingqs that you want). You can try to also listen to the radio, tv, or you can even try a audio book if you’re interesting in one of the three.
Corin, research different kinds of podcasts/radio broadcasts in Portuguese. Try iTunes. Just change your flag to Portugal or Brazil and seek out something that suits your tastes. Subscribe to several and simply tune in…
Seek out You Tube videos. Type specific terms in Portuguese related to your interests, then see what videos pop up. (Not language learning videos, but real authentic stuff!) Watch and listen. Bookmark them, or create a folder, i.e., Portuguese TV, P-Listening Vids. so that you can watch, listen, and review.
All good advice. Another tack to try: use a book (fiction or nonfiction) you really, really like and try to find an audiobook for it in Portuguese. Even if listening to the Portuguese is difficult, your interest in the subject can motivate you.
(I acknowledge that finding such a Portuguese audiobook for your favorite book (in any language) may not be so easy.)
ok, all great advice, thanks guys.