Da Quebrada pro Mundo
Learn Brazilian Portuguese online, free, from A1 to C1
A free Brazilian Portuguese course for beginners and beyond: five full levels, short lessons explained in English, and a story to follow. Priya, a producer from London, spends a year in a São Paulo neighbourhood building a music festival, and you learn the Portuguese people really speak there, slang and informal talk included. No sign-up to start.
How it works
Step 1
Pick your level
New to Portuguese? Start at A1 with Priya. Know a bit already? The free placement test tells you where to jump in.
Step 2
One short lesson a day
Each lesson is an episode: audio, story and exercises. Choose your pace: Easy, Steady or Nerdrake mode.
Step 3
Climb the ladder
A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1, all ready. Each course ends with a short final test and a certificate of completion.
Portuguese from Brazil, A1 to C1, all free
The levels follow the Common European Framework (CEFR), the scale employers, universities and visa offices use. Each course is one season of the series: the same people, the same neighbourhood, a little more Portuguese every episode.
- See course
Portuguese Novato · A1 · Priya in São Paulo
Say hello, introduce yourself, order, pay and ask the way.
12 lessons · about 3h · pilot version
- See course
Portuguese Pegando o jeito · A2 · Priya in São Paulo
Rent a flat, see a doctor, face the paperwork and talk about saudade.
12 lessons · about 3h · pilot version
- See course
Portuguese Desenrolado · B1 · Priya in São Paulo
Get through festival weekend: give an interview, sort out a conflict, write a formal email.
16 lessons · about 4h · pilot version
- See course
Portuguese Cria · B2 · Priya in São Paulo
Negotiate a sponsorship, read a public funding call and hold your own in a debate.
16 lessons · about 4h · pilot version
- See course
Portuguese Bigode · C1 · Priya in São Paulo
Lead the team, give tough feedback, read between the lines and switch registers.
16 lessons · about 5h · pilot version
What's free and what's paid
Free, for everyone
- Every Portuguese course, A1 to C1, with audio and exercises.
- The whole Priya in São Paulo series, one episode per lesson.
- The placement test, certificates of completion and an automatic check of what you write.
- Watching the live classes with the teacher.
Gold Plan · €29/month
- Feedback from the De Quebra AI on what you write and say, in every lesson.
- Live classes with the teacher on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, where you speak and get corrected.
- Cancel any time. No lesson is locked without it.
Every subscription funds a Luísa Mahin Scholarship: the Gold Plan, free, for a Black woman from a Brazilian periphery (a favela, the urban outskirts or a quilombo).
Portuguese certificate
When you finish every lesson in a course, you take a 10-question final test (70% to pass) and get your certificate of completion straight away: your name, the course, study hours, a verification code, a QR code and an 'Add to LinkedIn' button. Free.
To be clear: it's a private course certificate issued by the school. It isn't a diploma and it doesn't replace an official proficiency exam. If you need official proof of your Portuguese, for a university or a job in Brazil, that's the Celpe-Bras, Brazil's official exam, which you register for and take at an accredited test centre. The courses prepare you; the exam happens there.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Brazilian Portuguese course really free?
- Yes. Every lesson from A1 to C1 is free and open. You can start without an account and only sign up if you want to save your progress. The only paid part is the optional Gold Plan (AI feedback and live classes); no lesson is locked without it.
- Can I start as a complete beginner?
- Yes. A1 starts at 'Oi, tudo bem?' and every explanation is in English. Lessons are short, with audio, exercises and a story that carries on from one lesson to the next, so you're never left alone with a list of rules.
- Will I learn how Brazilians actually talk?
- That's the point. Alongside the grammar you'll hear 'tô', 'a gente', 'bora' and 'tu tá com fome?', and you'll learn when they fit and when to switch to a more formal register, like in an email or a meeting.
- How long until I'm fluent?
- It depends on how much you practise, and nobody serious can promise a date. What we can promise is the whole ladder, A1 to C1, ready to go, and a pace that fits your day, about 10 to 20 minutes per lesson.
- Do I get a certificate?
- Yes, a certificate of completion for each course (A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1), with a verification code and an 'Add to LinkedIn' button. It's a private school certificate, not a diploma or an official proficiency exam. For official proof of Portuguese, Brazil's exam is the Celpe-Bras, which you take at an accredited test centre.
- I already speak some Portuguese (or Spanish). Where do I start?
- Take the free placement test. It takes 2 to 5 minutes, doesn't ask for your email and points you to the right course.