About me

I am Cláudia, a teacher of Portuguese and the founder of Conversa Portuguese

I have over 22 years of experience teaching Portuguese as a second language. It all started in Timor-Leste, where I combined two passions: the Portuguese language and working in the field of development cooperation. I truly believe that it is possible to build a better world, and in Timor-Leste, I realized the power that the Portuguese language has to change lives, both professionally and personally.

In Timorese classrooms, I had a diverse adult audience, that forced me to adapt the courses to the needs of the adult students, including formulating different programs, workbooks, and other specific materials for language learning.

In Portugal, I also worked with people from all over the world who wanted to learn Portuguese online for a wide variety of reasons, and, once again, I had to adapt to their goals.

I am a curious person, and I love to learn. After graduating with a degree in Portuguese language teaching, I earned my Master’s degree in Portuguese as a Second Language, which allowed me to realize the need for intercultural awareness in effective in second language communication.

My master’s dissertation is about the linguistic transfer of English speakers when learning Portuguese. This helped me to understand the main difficulties of this audience and create strategies to fight critical linguistic areas.

I am currently completing my PhD in Portuguese Studies, focusing on the development of Portuguese learners’ metaphorical competence—an essential but overlooked area in second language acquisition.

I am also passionate about the use of technology in Portuguese teaching and devote much of my time to studying which tools are appropriate for my students’ goals.

Study, practical application, and hard work are the essential ingredients for leaving no student behind.

Experience

I have spent more than 22 years teaching Portuguese as a foreign or second language.

Qualifications

Bachelor's, Master's, and PhD in Portuguese. Research on students' difficulties and needs.
Training in various areas of teaching Portuguese as a non-native language.

Commitment

Lessons and specific materials for each student.

Who are my students?

  • People with families in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, or Timor-Leste
  • Expats living and/or working in Portugal and in other Portuguese-speaking African countries and in Timor-Leste
  • People in need of Portuguese for business
  • Children and teens learning Portuguese
  • Students preparing for school and for CAPLE exams, such as CIPLE exam
  • People visiting Portugal on holiday
  • People who simply love the language and the culture
  • People looking to broaden their cultural horizons
Testemonials

Hear from my students


Cláudia always came prepared and tailored the lesson to specific things I wanted to work on. She clearly put a lot of time and thought into preparing the lessons. In my many years of teaching and studying, I would say Cláudia is one of the top teachers I’ve ever encountered. She really knows how to connect with students and how to teach a foreign language, which is not easy to do.
Paul, USA


Cláudia is simply the most amazing teacher. She is professional, well-prepared, her knowledge of the language is obvious, and she is able to explain things simply and effectively. The classes are interesting, informative and fun. Cláudia really cares, and she goes above and beyond to help her students. She has really helped my grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and perhaps most importantly my self-confidence when speaking Portuguese.  I highly recommend Cláudia's classes.
Clare, England

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