When I first moved to Madeira, I assumed learning Portuguese would happen naturally.
I was hearing the language every day. Whether I was ordering coffee in a village café, buying groceries, chatting with neighbours or working with local builders on our house, I figured that simply being surrounded by Portuguese would eventually be enough. Like most people who move abroad, I imagined I’d slowly absorb the language without having to put too much effort into it.
The reality turned out to be quite different.
One of the things that makes Madeira such an easy place for foreigners to settle is also one of the biggest reasons so many of us put off learning Portuguese. The island has welcomed tourists for decades, so many people who work in hospitality, restaurants, cafés, tour companies and shops speak excellent English. Even outside tourism, you’ll often find someone happy to switch languages if they can.
That meant I could comfortably go about my daily life using English most of the time. If a conversation became too complicated, Google Translate usually filled in the gaps. More recently, ChatGPT has become incredibly useful for helping me write messages to builders, understand official documents or explain things I simply didn’t know how to say in Portuguese.
Life worked.
And because life worked, there was never much urgency to properly learn the language.
“I’ll start after summer.”
“I’ll have more time once the house is finished.”
“I’ll do it next month.”
There was always another excuse.
Eventually, though, I realised something.
Living somewhere isn’t quite the same as feeling like you’re part of it.
Some of my favourite moments in Madeira aren’t standing on mountain peaks or watching another incredible sunrise. They’re the small, everyday interactions that make you feel connected to the island. Chatting with the builder who’s spent months helping bring our home to life. Asking questions at the local agricultural shop. Speaking with the vet when one of our goats inevitably gets itself into trouble. Having a conversation with an elderly neighbour who’s lived in the village their entire life.
Those are the moments that made me realise I didn’t just want to live in Madeira—I wanted to participate in the community around me.
Of course, there was another excuse I kept telling myself.
European Portuguese is already considered one of the more difficult languages for English speakers to learn, and anyone who has spent time in Madeira will know that the local accent can be particularly fast compared to the Portuguese you’ll hear in language apps or textbooks. It felt like one more reason to delay getting started.
Eventually I accepted that there was never going to be a perfect time.
If I wanted to learn, I simply had to begin.
I’d already experimented with learning on my own.
Apps are great for vocabulary.
Google is brilliant for quick questions.
ChatGPT has honestly become one of my favourite language-learning tools because I can ask endless grammar questions or translate phrases I’ll actually use in real life.
But none of those things replace having an actual conversation.
I realised I didn’t need another app—I needed another person.
That’s what led me to Preply.
Preply is an online platform that connects students with one-on-one tutors teaching more than 90 languages. Rather than following a standard course, you choose a tutor based on your own goals, schedule and learning style before booking live online lessons together.
Since I specifically wanted to learn European Portuguese, not Brazilian Portuguese, being able to filter tutors was one of the first things I appreciated.
You can get 70% off your first trial lesson if you click here and make your booking.
I was pleasantly surprised by how organised the platform felt.
Every tutor has their own profile with an introduction video, reviews from previous students, their hourly rate and a calendar showing when they’re usually available. That made narrowing down my options surprisingly easy.
My checklist wasn’t complicated.
I wanted someone who specialised in European Portuguese, was experienced with complete beginners, spoke English clearly when explanations were needed and, perhaps most importantly, seemed patient.
I’ve never been someone who naturally picks up languages quickly.
I ask lots of questions.
Sometimes I need the same concept explained two or three different ways before it finally clicks.
Finding a tutor who didn’t mind that was far more important to me than simply finding the cheapest lesson available.
Preply starts with a trial lesson, which I really liked because it gives you a chance to see if your personalities are a good fit before committing to ongoing lessons.
After my trial, I decided to continue learning with Erico, who teaches from mainland Portugal.
I’m really glad I did.
One thing I’ve learned quite quickly is that choosing the right tutor probably matters more than choosing the platform itself.
Erico has exactly the kind of teaching style I was hoping for.
We usually spend the first few minutes chatting about what we’ve both been up to that week, the weather or something happening around Portugal before moving into the lesson itself. It feels relaxed rather than formal, which immediately makes speaking less intimidating.
Most importantly, he’s incredibly patient.
If I forget a word we’ve already covered, he simply explains it again.
If I completely misunderstand a grammar concept, he’ll slow down until it makes sense.
At no point have I felt embarrassed about making mistakes or asking what probably feels like a very obvious question.
As someone who definitely doesn’t consider themselves naturally gifted at learning languages, that has made a huge difference.
We’re currently working through a Portuguese textbook together, with Erico sharing the pages on screen during each lesson. We work through the exercises together, but what I enjoy most is everything that happens in between.
Every time I don’t understand something, I stop and ask.
Why does that verb change?
Why is this sentence structured differently?
Would a local actually say it like that?
How do you pronounce that properly?
Instead of spending twenty minutes searching online and hoping I’ve interpreted the answer correctly, I get an explanation immediately.
That instant feedback has probably been the biggest difference compared to studying by myself.
I still use ChatGPT almost every day while learning Portuguese. It’s fantastic for practising sentences, translating messages and understanding grammar outside lessons. But having a real person who can listen to your pronunciation, correct your mistakes and answer questions in real time is something AI simply can’t replace.
The lessons themselves are only part of the experience.
The platform is genuinely well designed.
Everything happens inside Preply, so there are no Zoom links to search for or different apps to open before every lesson. Video calls, messaging, lesson notes and learning materials are all integrated into the same place, making the whole experience feel smooth and organised. It also includes features such as lesson notes, chat, file sharing and AI-supported learning tools between lessons.
Scheduling lessons is equally straightforward.
Once I’d finished my trial lesson and decided Erico was the right tutor for me, I booked a package of lessons and simply added them to my calendar around everything else going on in life.
That consistency has probably been one of the biggest reasons I’ve actually stuck with learning this time.
Tutor prices vary quite a bit depending on experience, language and popularity.
While browsing, I found tutors charging anywhere from under €10 to more than €30 per lesson.
My lessons cost €16 for 50 minutes, which I personally think is excellent value considering it’s completely personalised one-on-one teaching.
For me, the biggest value isn’t just the lesson itself.
It’s the accountability.
Knowing that someone is waiting for me every week means I actually show up.
I actually practise.
And, most importantly, I keep making progress instead of stopping after a few weeks like I have with self-study in the past.
Preply recently conducted a study in which learners had been studying with a self-learning app and then switched to Preply and this is one of the most striking findings: Preply learners report 9x higher motivation after switching from a self-learning app.
I don’t expect to become fluent overnight.
I’m still a beginner.
I still forget words.
I still mix up verb endings.
I still occasionally smile and nod when someone speaks far too quickly.
But that’s all part of learning.
What has changed is that I finally feel like I’m moving in the right direction.
Instead of finding another excuse to wait until next month, I’m now slowly building the confidence to have real conversations with the people I meet every day here in Madeira.
For me, that’s what learning Portuguese was always about.
Not passing an exam.
Not ticking a box.
Simply feeling a little more connected to the island I’ve chosen to call home.
If you’re also living abroad, planning a move to Portugal, or you’ve been making the same excuses I did for years, I’d genuinely recommend giving one-on-one lessons a try. Whether it’s Preply or another platform, having a real teacher to guide you, answer your questions and keep you accountable has made far more of a difference than trying to learn entirely on my own ever did.
