Houston Portuguese Classes

Discovered by the Portuguese in 1500, Brazil was destined to be a melting pot of languages. African slaves proved a new source of contributions, followed by an influx of Europeans who migrated to the central and southern parts of the country after Brazil gained independence in 1822.

Virtually all the citizens of Brazil speak Brazilian Portuguese, a dialect of the Portuguese language. In general, Brazilians speak more slowly than their european counterparts, pronouncing each vowel. Italians, Germans and Japanese, as well as immigrants from Central and South American countries, also introduced new words and expressions into the language.

Due to its Latin root, Spanish speakers tend to learn Portuguese 50% faster than English speakers. This is an important tidbit when scheduling a group for training. Generally speaking, coordinators should place Spanish-speakers in a separate group. Because Be Bilingual’s Portuguese instructors specialize in private, individualized instruction, classes are always tailored to meet your specific learning pace.

So, why should you learn the Portuguese language?

Brazil, with its rapidly expanding economy, is the giant of South America. Brazil covers one half the area of South America, and is the second industrial power of the Americas. Next to Spanish and English, Portuguese is a major language of the American continent. According to UNESCO, the Portuguese language has the highest growth potential as an international language due to expansion in Africa and South America.

Fluency in Portuguese gives professionals an advantage when negotiating with the many expanding Brazilian companies located in the Houston area, as well as those located throughout Latin America. Brazil has the second biggest industrial sector in the Americas, with industries such as automobile, steel, petrochemicals, computers, aircraft and consumer durables. Petrobras, the largest company in Latin America by market capitalization and revenue, is a Brazilian multinational energy company. Petrobras is the third largest company in the Americas and the sixth largest in the world, and has a presence in 29 countries. With major offices located in Houston, Tx, Petrobras America is an international business unit of Petrobras Brazil.