Brazilian Portuguese 1: Taking the plunge

The joys of setting out on a new language journey

Yesterday I did a first lesson in a new language, just for kicks (and let's face it, as a source of said kicks, it's safer and cheaper than crystal meth).

I chose Brazilian Portuguese, simply because I enjoy the sound and the music, and signed up on iTalki, as you do, for an introductory lesson with Catherine from Rio. Who turned out to be an excellent and encouraging teacher.

What fun to get your head round those first sounds, to understand those first tiny phrases, where previously there was nothing, niente, nada.

Somehow the sheer dauntingness of the long and winding road ahead gets reduced to "Can I pull off those first baby steps and not fall flat on my arse?"

Worries about "Will I be able to master the future subjunctive" or "I wonder when I'll learn the word for 'transsubstantiation'?" fade into the background as you focus on "What the hell did she just say...?" followed immediately by a lightbulb moment: "Oh she was asking me my name!" which in turn precedes the panicky scramble towards "Meu nome é Andrew", and the mini-orgasm that accompanies a successful utterance.

And now I'm already looking forward to lesson 2.