Online English lessons for children in Portugal: school English, short vowels and speaking practice

When does English start at school in Portugal?

English becomes a compulsory subject in Portugal in the middle years of primary school, and many schools introduce it earlier. So depending on the school, your child may meet English in the first years of primary school or a little later. Your child's school is the best source for what their class covers and when.

Whenever it starts, class English has to be shared. Children listen, repeat together and answer in turn, which builds understanding but gives each child only a few moments to speak. Extra lessons are most useful when they fill that gap with real conversation.

How much English will my child pick up from television?

Some, but mostly as listening, and mostly as they get older. In Portugal, films and series for older viewers are usually subtitled rather than dubbed, so older children often hear English with Portuguese text underneath. Programmes for young children are usually dubbed into Portuguese, so the youngest hear much less English on screen.

Watching is useful for getting used to the sound of English, but it never asks your child to reply. A live lesson does: your child has to find words, try them out and be understood. For tips on keeping screen use balanced, see our guide on online lessons and screen time.

Which English sounds take practice for Portuguese speakers?

Every language makes some English sounds easy and others hard. For children who speak Portuguese at home, these are the usual ones to listen for:

• The th sounds. Portuguese has no th, so think may come out as tink, and this as dis. Showing your child the tip of the tongue between the teeth helps.
• Short vowels. English has many vowel sounds, and pairs such as ship and sheep, or full and fool, can sound alike to a Portuguese ear until your child has heard them often.
• The letter h. In Portuguese, h at the start of a word is silent, as in hora, so hat can become at and hill can become ill. A breathy h, like warming your hands, is good practice.
• Spelling. English spelling is less regular, so the same letters can say different things. Phonics teaches the patterns in a sensible order.

Which false friends should Portuguese-speaking children know?

Some Portuguese words look like English ones but mean something else. Children love catching these out, and laughing about a mistake makes it stick.

The puxar and push pair is worth a special mention, because the words look alike but mean the opposite. Play a door game at home: say push or pull, and let your child open or close the door the right way. A few rounds and the meaning sticks.

How long should a lesson be for a young child?

Shorter than many parents expect. Young children concentrate best in short bursts, so a 25-minute lesson with games and movement often achieves more than a long one. Children aged 4 to 12 differ a lot, though, and a lively five-year-old needs a different pace from a thoughtful eleven-year-old.

• Four to six. Songs, stories, pictures and plenty of copying sounds. The lesson should feel like play.
• Six to eight. Letter sounds and blending, so your child can read simple English words alongside learning Portuguese spelling.
• Eight to twelve. Conversation about real interests, short books and writing a few sentences.

Once or twice a week, at the same time each week, suits most families. Our guide on how long a child's lesson should be looks at attention spans in more detail.

How can I encourage reading in English at home?

You do not need to read English perfectly yourself. What matters is that books feel like a treat, not a test.

• Keep reading Portuguese books at bedtime, and add a short English picture book once or twice a week.
• Let your child choose. Books about their favourite animals, sport or characters keep them going.
• Read the pictures together first, naming things in English, before reading the words.
• If your child resists, try comics or very short books, and stop while they are still enjoying it.

For a child who would rather do anything than read, our guide on a reluctant reader has gentle ideas that work in any language.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Portugal?

CurioKids gives children aged 4 to 12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons with a real teacher, 25 minutes each, in the CurioKids online classroom with video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter; a child who already reads can be placed straight into a CEFR-based level after the free first lesson. Phonics Starter is our 52-lesson reading course, from letter sounds to reading sentences. Teachers can't teach until our team has confirmed a background check and they have signed our teaching agreement. Lessons happen only inside the CurioKids classroom, and your child's teacher gives feedback after lessons. See our levels and safety pages for more.

For a child in Portugal, 1-to-1 lessons are a chance to practise sounds like th and h out loud with someone listening closely.

Visit our Portugal page to see how lessons work, what your child will learn and how we keep children safe. If lessons for families in Portugal 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 Portugal are priced in euros: see the prices for Portugal.