Learn Brazilian Portuguese with a writer in Berlin.
Online or in person, through conversation, culture and literature connecting Diadema, Berlin and the world.
How to start
Three steps, at your own pace.
- Step 1
Try it for free
Take the free lesson on the platform and feel how the De Quebra method works.
Take the free lesson - Step 2
Meet Alexandre in a one-to-one lesson
A 45-minute trial lesson, one-time €19 payment, to understand your level and your goals.
Book for €19 - Step 3
Continue with monthly coaching
Four one-to-one lessons a month with Alexandre, for €199/month.
See the monthly coaching
Brazilian Portuguese · online or in Berlin
Your first Portuguese lesson through art, culture and real life.
A 45-minute one-to-one lesson with Alexandre Ribeiro to understand your level, practise real Portuguese and define your next step.
- An initial conversation to understand your level and goal.
- Portuguese used in real life, without artificial textbook dialogue.
- Art and literature as a starting point for speaking and understanding.
Secure payment through Stripe. This is not a subscription and there are no recurring charges.
One-on-one online
Video lessons directly with Alexandre.
In-person in Berlin
Live lessons in Berlin with immersion focus.
Available now
Brazilian Portuguese A1 Starter
14 lessons of Brazilian Portuguese through art, literature and real life. One-time payment, lifetime access.
Monthly coaching
Português Vivo: real continuity with Alexandre.
Four one-to-one lessons a month, a plan built around your level, culture, literature and real life — for €199/month.
Courses for Brazilians
Upcoming courses for Brazilians
Two courses in development based on Alexandre Ribeiro's books — English and German, designed for learners from Brazil.
- A1Free — available now
English A1 — Da Quebrada Pro Mundo
English course based on the book Da Quebrada pro Mundo: art and real life.
- A1Pilot in development4 structured pilot lessons
German A1 — Querido Heinz
German for Berlin and everyday life, based on the book Querido Heinz.
De Quebra method
Five pillars and a lesson cycle that respects who you are.
- 01
From us, for us
Teaching by people who live what they teach.
- 02
Real life
Language for the bus, the café, work and affection.
- 03
Art that teaches
Literature, music and image as lesson matter.
- 04
Critical thinking
Language as a tool to read the world.
- 05
Global bridge
Diadema, Berlin and other outskirts in conversation.
- 01See
Video, audio, image or literature.
- 02Unpack
Vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar and context.
- 03Practice
Short, focused exercises.
- 04Create
Your own answer, in text or audio.
- 05Take it to the world
A practical mission tied to real life.
Literature that teaches
Books that become lessons.
Alexandre's works turned into authorized teaching material. Excerpts, context and exercises tied to the courses.
A2 adapted · B1/B2 guidedReservado
Work awarded by ProAC Prosas. Body, hunger, memory, school, transport, friendship, poetry and everyday language.
B1/B2Da Quebrada pro Mundo
Alexandre's third book. Fiction, Afrofuturism, identity, technology, Brazil and Germany, education and belonging.
B2/C1Note: covers sensitive topics.Querido Heinz
Work in Portuguese and German. Migration, memory, freedom, mental health, racism, war and responsibility.
The school
A language school born in the quebrada.
DQPM teaches English, German and Brazilian Portuguese starting from literature, music and real conversation. It began in the outskirts of São Paulo, with free classes to test whether the idea worked outside of theory, and now works between Brazil and Europe on the same principle: language is a tool for work and freedom, not a membership card for a closed club.
About the school
Founder
Alexandre Ribeiro
Writer and educator, raised in Favela da Torre, in Diadema. He learned English while working at a hotel, became an award-winning author and finished his degree at Bard College Berlin on a scholarship. Today he turns what he learned — and the books he wrote — into lessons.
- 2019 · PoetryInflorescência
- 2019 · Prose · ProAC ProsasReservado
- 2021 · NovelDa Quebrada pro Mundo
- Aug 2026 · PT/DE — pre-launchQuerido Heinz
Student voices
What our students say about us 🖤
Jonathas Carvalho
Communicator & Educator
Student from the Casa do Hip-Hop de Diadema class
“Innovative and revolutionary! We need access to education, culture, communication, money, and other countries above all.”
Larissa Batista
Student
Member of the first class
“I loved being part of the project. I started dedicating myself much more to learning English, and the classes helped me understand a lot of basic things I hadn't grasped so clearly before.”
Fabiano Carmo
Student
Member of the first class
“I can only thank you for the opportunity to take part and say how important this work is — especially for Black people from the quebrada like me, who often can't afford to pay for a course.”
Alana Tamira
Student
Member of the first class
“I think the teaching approach is very accessible, and even when it's entirely in English it's still totally possible to understand what's being said — plus there's so much patience and availability, in class and on social media.”
Impact
Where you come from also teaches.
Part of the platform's growth will be tied to access for students from the outskirts. No inflated numbers, no empty promises.
- 2021
The year of the first classes, still free, to test the method.
- 1,000+
People who have studied with us since then.
- 2
People on the team. Two: teaching, platform and content.