‘Uma viagem con amigos' – 'A trip with friends’
Lingo Mastery has embarked on a mission – to make Portuguese more accessible to a wider population. In the Introductory Note the goal is stated well: ‘Learning a new language can be compared to starting to swim as a child; it’s actually one of the best analogies you can make about it. At first, you’ll stand on the shore or the edge of the pool and look at that great mass of liquid, wondering just how you’re going to start. After all, if you don’t get it right, you’ll start drowning and your interest in learning probably won’t last much longer after that. So you wait patiently and lick your lips in anticipation. Finally, you dare to make a move and jump inside. What you do next will decide just what kind of a person you are. I use this comparison because many people are too afraid to dare to jump into that pool and take a chance at learning a new tongue — a language that can open new doors for you in your future and become a tool that you’ll use to communicate with an entirely fresh community. There are over 260 million Portuguese speakers in the world and many of the biggest companies in the world will value a worker that speaks two languages. Since Brazil is a rapidly growing economy many international companies will try to establish themselves there sooner or later and then Portuguese will certainly be helpful! If you’ve picked this book up, you’re already made good progress in learning the language. Our goal with this book will be to supply you with useful, entertaining, helpful and challenging material that will not only allow you to learn the language but also help you pass the time and make the experience more fun – like any particular lesson should be.’
Each of the twenty stories follows the pattern Summary of the story, Vocabulary Questions about the story, and Answers. Or as the authors state, ‘Each story will tell a different tale involving unique, deep characters with their own personalities and conflicts, while ensuring that you understand the objective of the particular language device in Portuguese. Verbs, Pronouns, Nouns, Directions, Time and Date: all of it will be covered in this Basic-level book for Beginners. At no point will we introduce concepts too difficult for you to grasp, and any complicated vocabulary will be studied at the end of each story.’
The stories vary, as do the lessons taught. This is a very fine introduction to Brazilian Portuguese, appropriate for all age levels, and a book much needed at this time in our national status!