Online English lessons for children in Macau: English alongside Cantonese, Putonghua and Portuguese

How do children in Macau learn English?

Macau's official languages are Chinese and Portuguese, and Cantonese is the language most people speak day to day. English is used widely in tourism, hospitality and business, which is one reason many parents want their children to be confident in it.

Macau's schools are varied. Most teach mainly in Chinese, some teach mainly in English, and a few teach in Portuguese, and each school shapes its own English programme. A child at a Chinese-medium school and a child at an English-medium school of the same age can have very different English, and both are normal. Your child's school is the best source for what they cover and expect.

What does extra English practice add?

Whatever the school, the hardest thing to give a whole class is speaking time. A child can understand a lot of English and still hesitate to answer, because they've had few chances to practise. In a 1-to-1 lesson the teacher's attention is on your child all the time, so they speak much more and the lesson moves at their pace.

For a child at a Chinese-medium school, extra lessons often focus on confident speaking and on reading with phonics. For a child at an English-medium school, they may focus on reading for meaning, vocabulary for other subjects and writing. A good teacher finds out which your child needs in the first lesson.

Why does reading English feel different from reading Chinese?

Chinese characters are learned as whole units, each with its own meaning and sound. English words are built from letters that stand for sounds, so a child who knows the sounds can work out a word they've never seen. Children who try to learn English words by shape alone, like characters, often get stuck as the number of words grows.

Phonics solves this by teaching letter sounds and how to blend them, step by step. Our guides to what phonics is and sight words vs phonics explain how the two approaches work together.

Which English sounds take extra practice for Cantonese speakers?

Cantonese words end in fewer sounds than English ones, so children may drop endings like the s in dogs or the l in school. Groups of consonants, as in street and hands, and the th and v sounds also take practice. These improve with listening, songs and friendly repetition. Point out endings when you read together, such as one dog and two dogs, and let your child hear the difference.

Does learning Portuguese or Putonghua get in the way of English?

No. Children can learn several languages at once, and each one makes language learning a little easier. Portuguese uses the same alphabet as English, which helps with letter shapes, though some letters sound different, so English phonics is still worth learning properly. Mixing languages in one sentence is a normal stage. Read bilingual children who mix languages.

What age should my child start English lessons?

Children can enjoy short, playful English lessons from around four, with songs, pictures, games and letter sounds. At that age the aim is to enjoy English and get used to its sounds, not to write. From six or seven, as reading in Chinese develops at school, English phonics and simple reading can grow alongside it. Children who start later, at eight or ten, usually move quickly through the first steps and soon need reading and speaking at their own level. See English for 4-year-olds.

When can a child in Macau fit in an online lesson?

We suggest choosing a 25-minute lesson after school, between about 4pm and 8pm, or on a weekend morning. Macau doesn't change its clocks, so a weekly slot stays at the same local time all year. With no travel, a lesson can start soon after your child gets home and still leave time for homework and play.

What should I look for in online English lessons?

• A live, real teacher who talks with your child and adapts to them.
• 1-to-1 lessons, so your child speaks for much of the time.
• Phonics for reading as well as conversation.
• A clear level and feedback after lessons.
• Safety: checked teachers, lessons only in the provider's own classroom, and a way to report a concern.

To describe progress across different schools, the CEFR is a useful common scale. For young learners its early levels are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. See CEFR levels for children explained.

How can I support English at home in Macau?

• Read English picture books together and talk about them in any language.
• Spot English on signs, menus and packaging when you're out, and read it together.
• Sing songs and play rhyming games to tune your child's ear to English sounds.
• Ask your child to teach you something from their lesson.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Macau?

CurioKids gives children aged 4–12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons, 25 minutes each, with a real teacher in the CurioKids classroom: video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter, which teaches reading sound by sound, then continue with CEFR-based levels. Teachers can't teach until our team has confirmed a background check and they have signed our teaching agreement. See our safety page and FAQ.

Visit our Macau page to see how lessons work, what your child will learn and how we keep children safe. If lessons for families in Macau haven't opened yet, the page has a waitlist: leave your details and we'll let you know when you can book your child's free first lesson. Plans for families in Macau are priced in Macanese patacas: see the prices for Macau.