Portuguese for Foreigners at Furb was created in 1975 initally to meet the needs of Japanese and German groups who came to the city on business and needed to learn Portuguese. At that time, the Language Laboratory - a centre responsible for teaching foreign languages to undergraduate students - undertook the responsibility to teach Portuguese as a foreign language and developed its own methodology based on the audio-lingual method which gave emphasis to conversation besides reinforcing grammar.

The course has been restructured due to the increase of interest of people from all over the world in the oral skills of the Portuguese language and the Brazilian way of living and cultural behaviour. Nowadays, a bridge between the language and the Brazilian culture has been created to offer student a clear picture of our habits, traditions and communication during the classes and extra activities. Our course was designed with one goal in mind: to provide the students with every opportunity to learn the language.

Our courses are designed to teach Portuguese through social and anthropological dimensions of our country.It highlights Brazilian Portuguese and its linguistic variations in different levels of language, idiomatic expressions and our varied lexis.

Classes for groups or for individual studies are held in air-conditioned classrooms and in a brand-new language laboratory at Furb. We provide a professional and friendly atmosphere in order to create an effective learning experience where language and lifestyle converge in communicative activities which are perceived as more important than the study of grammar alone.

During the classes they develop fluency and accuracy. They learn the various levels of language and lexis. They use the language communicatively in daily life situations. Students talk about current affairs besides reinforcing their listening/speaking skills with practical oral activities in the language laboratory. In the laboratory, they have an extensive programme of listening tasks through films, videos, songs and structural exercises for self-study. All our professors are native speakers who monitor learners all the time and, in addition, they have got on-line activities and free access to the Internet.

Becoming one of our students also means making a lot of new friends by entering the unusual world which is a Brazilian way of living.

The learning process comes as a result of the interaction among formal pedagogical explanations, visits, small trips,sightseing and total cultural immersion that happens spontaneously.

Each learner has a great variety of extra courses and can choose one according to his/her personal interests and preferences. Consult the coordinator before making your decision. Do not forget to ask for extra fees and free participation.