Experience the best option for learning Portuguese with a fast-paced and engaging curriculum that explores bold topics in arts, everyday life, and past and current events.

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Spend a summer at the Portuguese School and you’ll experience the single most effective method for rapid language acquisition: a total immersion environment with the Language Pledge®—a promise to read, write, listen, and speak only in your language of study. Strive and achieve Portuguese proficiency and intercultural competence by experiencing the Portuguese-speaking world in a unique full immersion environment rich in learning opportunities

Portuguese Program Overview

The Portuguese Language School is a 7-week summer program —from beginners to advanced levels— located on the Bennington campus. The program is open to undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students at other institutions, retirees, and professionals of all ages from all over the world. Application and scholarship/financial aid processes are identical to those for the Middlebury campus.

Our 7-week immersion program is open to all levels of students who want to learn the Portuguese language—from beginners to advanced levels—and students are current undergraduates, graduate students, professionals, and lifelong learners from all over the world.

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Before and After - Portuguese School

In her first day at the Language School, Harlem could say old one word. “I can say Hi – Oi!”

Seven weeks later…

Hi. My name is Harlem. But here in the Portuguese School, my name is Carla.

Before I came to the Portuguese School, I could speak hardly a word. I could hardly speak any Portuguese…hardly anything.  I knew how to say hi, the minimum.  But now, after only 7 weeks, I can have a conversation.

I think there are three most important things for the process of learning at the Portuguese School.  In the Portuguese School, we have the Language Pledge to not speak in the prohibited language, which is English. I think the fact that we have to live together all day, every day, every week. Also, the teachers are excellent. They were really better than I expected, in a positive way. Because they knew how to use every moment of the day – all the moments of the day to teach us. Every moment was an opportunity to teach us new things.

Why did you choose Middlebury?

I want to read Harry Potter in Russian.

I want to achieve full fluency in Spanish.

I want to speak to my family in French.

I want to read art theory in Japanese.

I want to speak to my friends in Salvador in Portuguese.

I would like very, very much to read Goethe’s Faust in German.

I want to talk to my patients in Spanish.

Live in Language

In the Portuguese School, you will quickly build proficiency and cultural awareness, benefiting from a rigorous approach to daily classroom instruction focused on meaningful, real-life communication. At the school, you will find an extremely supportive atmosphere, helping you gain both the confidence and tools necessary to take your skills to the next level, earning a full year’s worth of college credit in just seven weeks.

Our dedicated faculty use the communicative approach to provide significant language learning and cultural awareness in the understanding of the fascinating and diverse cultures in the Portuguese-speaking world. Daily contact with faculty includes office hours, one-on-one tutoring, discussion groups, and pronunciation workshops to assist you in perfecting your language skills. Also, students and faculty eat all meals together, interacting in the language.

Beyond the classroom, you’ll be immersed in a vibrant community of Portuguese Language learners, participating in organized cocurricular activities— including football, games, dancing, singing, choir practice, theater and other performances, storytelling, movies, concerts, reading groups, podcasting, newsletter writing, academic reading and lectures and even cooking and baking—designed to help you build your vocabulary and learn Portuguese, while developing intercultural competence in the language.

This effective combination of in-class study and outside activities in Portuguese makes for a powerful learning environment in which everything comes together to help you achieve your language goals. Whether in class, in the cafe, dining hall, or just chatting with friends in the common room or at a party, you will be living in Portuguese for the summer.

Funding

Thanks to the support of generous donors (including Language Schools alumni) and Middlebury’s commitment to provide an opportunity for as many students as possible, we are pleased to offer need-based financial aid and merit-based fellowships and scholarships, including the Portuguese Teachers Fellowship.

Frequently Asked Questions

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A conversation in Portuguese is a rich experience. The Portuguese School at Middlebury Language Schools teaches students how to speak, read, write and understand this beautiful and richly diverse language. Students are immersed in Portuguese culture through morning classes and afternoon cross cultural activities.

To learn Portuguese, you must fully immerse yourself in the culture and experience the world through different eyes. Studying in person with the Language Pledge is the best way to learn the Portuguese Language.  This is because in-person interactions, a 24/7 immersion environment, and mistakes will lead to language improvement.

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Middlebury Language Schools offers a 7-week immersion summer program to learn Portuguese. With our 7-week immersion program, you have the opportunity to learn Portuguese in a short period as a complete beginner or an advanced student. Our classes are designed to be interactive and engaging, with activities that help you learn the language on a deeper level.

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Learning a new language is not only an enriching experience; it also has many benefits, including:

  • Expanding your vocabulary so you can speak, read, write and communicate better.
  • Giving you a new skill set for job possibilities. You will be able to work with Middlebury’s Center for Careers and Internships, and attend employer information sessions.
  • Preparing you for your travels to Portuguese speaking countries and beyond.
  • Helping you learn other languages by understanding their structure and how they work. It can make speaking Spanish, French, and other Latin languages easier.
  • Connecting you with faculty and classmates in the Portuguese community and preparing you for a lifetime of connections.
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Portuguese is very similar to Spanish; they are both included in the Romance language group, an expansive family of over 170 languages. Portuguese is the official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé, and Príncipe. It’s also one of the official languages in East Timor and Equatorial Guinea. Portuguese is the 6th most spoken language in the world. It has approximately 250 million native speakers.

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The cost to attend the 7-week Portuguese School includes tuition, room, and board. We include room and board in the total cost, since it’s required to live and eat on campus for the 24/7 immersion experience.

We are pleased to offer need-based financial aid and merit-based fellowships and scholarships from our generous alumni donors. Portuguese students can receive full funding (tuition, room, and board) for a merit scholarship (see the deadlines for merit scholarships), and partial funding (up to 65% of tuition, room, and board) for need-based financial aid.