Olá, sou a Catarina

a language lover and addict

10 foreign languages.
Now back to the first.

My dad says I only started talking when I was three, which means I spent three years and a few months (in utero) practically just listening.

I continued throughout life with my hyper listening skills and learnt ten more languages*. Some I can speak better than others (one needs time for daily chores too, right?), but the amazing thing is I can understand some Russian and Macedonian, even though I never studied them.

After almost 15 years living abroad, I am now back in Portugal, rediscovering my own language. I'm ready to help YOU find your voice in Portuguese. Shall we?

*before you ask... that's English, French, Italian, Polish, Dutch, Spanish, Swedish, Frisian, German, Mandarin.
The trajectory was: from Portugal to Italy, to England, to Poland, to The Netherlands, to Brazil and back to Portugal.
I didn't stay a decade in all places. But I made life-long connections because I showed interest, respect and spoke the local language (or at least tried when attempting to buy shoes). It definitely made a huge difference to my overall experience living abroad.

At the end of the day, as much as the polyglot in me doesn't like to admit, it is not about the language itself,
but...
the language is the best means to 
CONNECT 
with people.

Write your awesome label here.
I use several methods to help you learn Portuguese, but ONE approach

The Unschooling approach to learning European Portuguese

What this means is:
  • taking into consideration how you learn, the language(s) you know, your interests
  • focusing on pattern recognition
  • learning in context, instead of abstract concepts
  • supporting you in a holistic way: language is cyclical and each main skill (listening, reading, speaking, writing) should support each other
  • helping you tune your ear to the sounds of Portuguese, to both what we say and what we don't say (e.g. body language)
  • trusting you will speak and find your voice in Portuguese. Yes, you will!

All this to say, I help you understand and be understood, so that you can feel at home in Portuguese.

Contact me: [email protected]

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