Você fala Inglês? Do you speak English?

Bom Dia! My name is Sophie and up until recently I was your typical English small city girl living on the beautiful coast of Newcastle Upon Tyne.

In September 2017 I quit my job, squeezed my life into 2 suitcases and said goodbyes to my gorgeous family.. Now it was time to board a plane to Sao Paulo, Brasil.

Of course when I moved to Brasil I expected the usual culture shock.. The typical 'driving on the wrong side of the road', What do you mean they don't have Dairy Milk Chocolate?! Why can't I find my UK adapter again?! - However the BIGGEST issue I am currently facing is the language.. Brazilian Portuguese is, in my opinion, very complicated. Male and female words, letters with accents, nasal sounds..

Unlike a holiday in Europe where, for example, a waiter, hotel clerk or store attendant could assist you with some basic broken English, it is highly unlikely you will come across an English speaker in your every day life whilst in Sao Paulo.

I try to expose myself to as many forms of learning as possible, in the hope of finding something that sticks - YouTube videos, articles, apps and websites but one in particular is definitely helping me progress - DuoLingo.

DuoLingo is a website/app offering language courses in over 30 different languages all free of charge. The website does offer a lot of useful extras for a small subscription but the free version has more than enough to offer for a basic learner.

Unlike any other apps I have come across, DuoLingo has a 'Bots' section in which they use voice recognition to simulate a conversation with a robot. This gives you the chance to practise speech as well as writing and reading. I found this particularly helpful in building confidence with speaking to a native as approaching someone for the first time can be a scary experience.

Along side the 'bots' they also offer a range of lessons which include writing, reading, translation and multiple choice questions - each time you get an answer right you earn points, each time you get an answer wrong you lose a life! Your points can be redeemed for extra bonus lessons, exciting new content and restoring health.

So, if any wonderful Portugues/English speakers are reading my blog and want to help me with the language PLEASE contact me here! and for those of you who want to check out the DuoLingo website you can do so by clicking here.