The café
You practise
Ordering, small talk, the speed of a real Lisbon morning.
Overheard
Uma bica e um pastel de nata, por favor.
Lisbon · in person & online
Portuguesefor real life.
Private lessons with Dio, a Brazilian linguist in Lisbon. Brazilian and European Portuguese side by side, the way people actually speak them: at the café, at the counter, in the street.
5,0average · 26 Google reviews
Phrasebookp. 1/5
ENI'm on the bus
Brasil
Tô no ônibus
sounds like/ˈto nu ˈo.ni.bus/
Portugal
Estou no autocarro
sounds like/ʃˈto nu ˌaw.tu.ˈka.ʁu/
The method
Two Portugueses, one teacher.
The differences between Brazil and Portugal run from vocabulary to grammar and, above all, to sound. Dio teaches them side by side: you choose the one you'll speak, and you learn to understand the other.
Which one do you need?
Note
The comparative route: every topic in both columns, with the why behind each difference. What most of Dio's students end up doing.
EN
Brasil
Portugal
- 01Busônibusautocarro
- 02Traintremcomboio
- 03Bathroombanheirocasa de banho
- 04Fridgegeladeirafrigorífico
- 05Juicesucosumo
- 06Ice creamsorvetegelado
Immersion
The city is the classroom.
Patience and empathy are the foundation. Then the language goes outside: a café, a bar counter, a walk through the streets, in real time, with real people.
I go beyond the traditional classroom: I use the city as a teaching tool.
The bar counter
You practise
Listening when everyone talks at once, slang, jokes.
Overheard
Então, tudo bem contigo?
The street
You practise
Asking the way, reading signs, history on every corner.
Overheard
Desculpe, o elétrico 28 para aqui?
Online
You practise
The same lesson from wherever you are, before the move or after it.
Overheard
Bom dia! Vamos começar?
Lessons
Built around you, one lesson at a time.
Every class is adapted to the student. Dio never moves on until the last thing makes sense.
- Start here
Free intro class
Meet, check your level, decide BR, PT or both, and plan the lessons. Booked on WhatsApp.
- Core
Private lessons
Conversation, grammar, pronunciation and real situations, paced to you. In person in Lisbon or online.
- Out in Lisbon
City immersion
The lesson moves to a café, a counter or a walk. You practise with the city, not about it.
- Sound
Pronunciation & accent
Phonetics explained, not just repeated: how the sounds work, so you speak naturally and are understood.
- Spanish & Italian speakers
The "it looks easy" trap
False friends, open and closed vowels, structures that look the same and aren't.
- Goals
Exam preparation
Getting ready for the Portuguese proficiency exam, and for the interviews and paperwork around it.
- Academic
Formal & academic writing
Writing in Brazilian or European Portuguese in formal contexts: work, university, research.
Prices on request, after the free intro class.
- Degree
- Letras Vernáculas, UFBA
- Master's
- UFBA
- Doctoral research
- Literature & culture, Brazil and Portugal
- Experience
- 20+ years with language
- Teaches in
- Portuguese · English · Spanish
About Dio
A linguist who loves the questions.
Patience and empathy are the foundation of any learning.
Dio (Diógenes) is Brazilian and lives in Lisbon. He studied Letras Vernáculas and took his master's at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, and his doctoral research on Brazilian and Portuguese literature and culture runs between Bahia and the Faculdade de Letras in Lisbon, with studies on José Saramago.
That is why a lesson on a verb can end up in a novel, a map or a piece of history. Language doesn't live alone in a grammar book: it lives in everything around us.
His students are expats who moved to Lisbon, Spanish and Italian speakers who thought it would be easy, a researcher learning to hear Portugal before moving, a Portuguese student writing in Brazilian. Many of them write that the teacher became a friend.
I don't want the student to simply repeat what they hear, but to understand how the language works.
Reviews
Written in five languages, all about one teacher.
5,0
Read them on Googleaverage · 26 reviews on Google
EN
Through his lessons, I also learned a great deal about Brazilian literature, culture, society and history. Dio never moves on to the next topic until he is sure the student has fully understood the concept.ES
Empecé las clases con Dió pensando que, como hablo español, aprender portugués sería fácil. Pero la semejanza entre los dos idiomas puede ser bastante engañosa al principio. Me gustaron especialmente las clases de pronunciación, con explicaciones de lingüística y fonética.Translation
I started classes with Dio thinking that, as I speak Spanish, learning Portuguese would be easy. But the similarity between the two languages can be quite misleading at first. I especially liked the pronunciation classes, with explanations of linguistics and phonetics.
EN
He helped me understand the differences between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese, two quite distinct variants of the language. Dio also has the ability to make the learning process light, stimulating, and deeply human.IT
Le sue lezioni sono sempre molto coinvolgenti e mai noiose. Persona disponibile e piena di passione. Assolutamente consigliato per chi vuole imparare o migliorare il portoghese.Translation
His lessons are always very engaging and never boring. Helpful and full of passion. Absolutely recommended for anyone who wants to learn or improve their Portuguese.
EN
With Dio, I learned real Portuguese — the kind people actually use every day, including lots of expressions and natural ways of speaking. I now live in Dublin and can comfortably chat with the many Brazilians I meet here.PT-BR
Além de conhecer muito das regras gramaticais, tem expertise em literatura, geopolítica e história. Consegue integrar as aulas gramaticais com os acontecimentos do mundo, promovendo aulas muito dinâmicas.Translation
Besides knowing the grammar rules inside out, he has expertise in literature, geopolitics and history. He ties grammar lessons to what is happening in the world, which makes the classes very dynamic.
DE
Ich habe es geliebt, bei dir zu lernen! Dein Unterricht war super und ich war echt überrascht, wie schnell ich Fortschritte gemacht habe.Translation
I loved learning with you! Your lessons were great and I was really surprised how quickly I made progress.
EN
I'm Argentinian and I live in Lisbon. Like many Argentinians, I thought I already spoke Portuguese. I really enjoyed his teaching method, especially the focus on phonetics and pronunciation. Now, the next step is to take the Portuguese proficiency exam!PT
Estudar com o Dio não é só aprender Português, é mergulhar na cultura brasileira e do mundo de forma incrível.Translation
Studying with Dio isn't just learning Portuguese, it's diving into Brazilian culture and the world in an incredible way.
FAQ
Before you book
Both. Dio teaches them side by side: you choose the variant you'll speak, and you learn to understand the other. Living in Lisbon, most students start with European and keep Brazilian on the side.
Contact
Your first lesson is on Dio.
Send a WhatsApp message to book the free intro class. Lessons every day by appointment, in Lisbon or online.
Book on WhatsAppPhone
910 030 944- Lisbon
- R. Andrade Corvo, 1050-007 Lisboa
- Hours
- Every day, 08:00 – 22:00, by appointment
- Where
- In person in Lisbon · online anywhere
- @professor.dio