What to watch to learn Portuguese
Everything one working Portuguese teacher told us they would actually put in front of a learner, with a note on why each one works and the level it suits.
Every pick on this page is in European Portuguese.
15
Recommendations
1
Teachers
Picked by
Sara Durães
European Portuguese
I was born and raised in Lisbon, and I teach the Portuguese people actually need in their first months here: the pharmacy, the landlord, the café. This is what I'd put on to hear that same language outside a lesson, from news read at full speed to vlogs, history, cooking, business talk and a music playlist. It is all European Portuguese, so you get the swallowed vowels and the rhythm you'll actually meet on the street.
See Sara Durães’s picks
Learn European Portuguese | A1 → B1
Short episodes built around situations you'll actually hit, recorded at both slow and natural speed, with free transcripts to read along.
Beginner-Intermediate
Survive In Portugal
Real-life European Portuguese for people building a life in Portugal: what to say at the pharmacy, at the doctor's, in a café, with a landlord.
Beginner-Intermediate
24Kitchen Portugal
Portuguese cooking shows and recipes. Food language repeats constantly, so it is an easy way to build vocabulary you'll use in a market or a restaurant.
Intermediate
Meio Cheio
João and Jessica document ten years of living off the automatic pilot, off-grid and on the road. Relaxed, unhurried talk and a lot of practical everyday vocabulary.
Intermediate
Finanças com Ella
Saving, earning and investing explained in plain European Portuguese. Handy vocabulary if you are setting up a life here: banks, taxes, rent, salaries.
Intermediate-Advanced
RicFazeres
Gaming series and everyday vlogs at natural speed, full of the slang and filler words a textbook will never teach you.
Intermediate-Advanced
RTP Play
The public broadcaster's free player: series, documentaries, news, radio and podcasts in one place, and a lot of it carries Portuguese subtitles.
Intermediate-Advanced
SIC Notícias
Portugal's rolling news channel, live and clipped on YouTube. Presenters speak clearly but never slow down, so it is the quickest way to get used to full-speed European Portuguese.
Intermediate-Advanced
Tomás Silva
Weekly vlogs about ordinary life in Portugal: university, friends, a trip somewhere. Unscripted speech from a young Lisbon voice.
Intermediate-Advanced
45 Graus
Long, unhurried interviews with specialists on economics, science and society. The listening to move on to once the news stops being hard.
Advanced
Bitalk — Negócios à Portuguesa
Portugal's biggest business and entrepreneurship podcast, with founders talking through what worked and what failed. Long conversations at full speed, and on YouTube too if you'd rather watch.
Advanced
História de Portugal JHS
Professor José Hermano Saraiva's television documentaries on Portuguese history, narrated in careful, formal Portuguese that is far more deliberate than anything on TV today.
Advanced
Perguntar Não Ofende
Daniel Oliveira interviews a guest with real pushback, mostly on politics and current affairs. Argument at full speed, which is where most learners still get lost.
Advanced
Português Suave
The linguist Marco Neves on where surprising words come from, what the regionalisms mean, and which myths about Portuguese are just myths.
Advanced
Música Portuguesa
A mixed playlist of Portuguese music across genres. Lyrics stay in your head far longer than sentences do, and they teach you the rhythm of the language.
Frequently asked
What can I watch to learn Portuguese?
Sara Durães of Survive in Portugal recommends Learn European Portuguese | A1 → B1, Survive In Portugal, 24Kitchen Portugal and Meio Cheio, 15 teacher-chosen picks in total (European Portuguese). Each links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the right learner level.
What shows can I watch on Netflix and Amazon Prime to learn Portuguese?
Sara Durães, who teaches Portuguese at Survive in Portugal, recommends RTP Play. These are all TV series and films, so you will usually find them on Netflix or Amazon Prime. Each one links out to where to watch it, with a note on the level it suits.
What are the best podcasts to learn Portuguese?
Sara Durães, who teaches Portuguese at Survive in Portugal, recommends Learn European Portuguese | A1 → B1, 45 Graus, Bitalk — Negócios à Portuguesa, Perguntar Não Ofende and Português Suave. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.
What are the best YouTube channels to learn Portuguese?
Sara Durães, who teaches Portuguese at Survive in Portugal, recommends Survive In Portugal, 24Kitchen Portugal, Meio Cheio, Finanças com Ella, RicFazeres, SIC Notícias, Tomás Silva and História de Portugal JHS. Each one links out to where you can watch or listen, with a note on the level it suits.