Languages - Reviews of Universidade do Porto | Portugal

Useful | 1

Mihael B

University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Engineering, Computer, Graduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Did not speak it
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

Considering the Portuguese language, at first it was very difficult to understand anybody, but by the end of the semester I could understand more or less anything. Speaking was a bit more difficult but you can learn the basic very fast. Almost all of the students (local and international) speak English, so if you know English you'll be ok.

Useful | 0

Thomas L

Katholieke Hogeschool Sint-Lieven, Ghent, Belgium
Engineering, Chemical, Graduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: Everyday knowledge (shopping, directions, etc.)

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

The Portuguese language is very difficult to learn for people without a roman native language. Most of the portuguese (especially young people) speak english pretty good. That was easy for important things at university. But in every day life, like shopping, i tried to use portuguese to learn the language faster.

Useful | 0

MONIKA S

Wyzsza Szkola Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna, Lodz, Poland
Philology, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

I think this kind of student exchange is a wonderful opportunity to learn a new language or get more fluent in a language we already speak. Learning in real-life situations is a very useful experience. It also gives an opportunity to learn about the culture of natives.

Useful | 0

MONIKA S

Wyzsza Szkola Humanistyczno-Ekonomiczna, Lodz, Poland
Philology, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: English

Local language was: Different than language of instruction

Was learning English a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my English

Was learning the local language a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my the local language

How much did you improve your English?

My level before: No problems in any areas (including slang)
My level after: No problems in any areas (including slang)

How much did you improve your the local language?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

I think this kind of student exchange is a wonderful opportunity to learn a new language or get more fluent in a language we already speak. Learning in real-life situations is a very useful experience. It also gives an opportunity to learn about the culture of natives.

Useful | 0

Virginia T

Academia de Studii Economice din Bucuresti, Bucharest, Romania
Marketing and Sales Management, Graduate, Master

Languages

Language of instruction: Portuguese

Was learning Portuguese a key decision factor?

No, it wasn't.

How much did you improve your Portuguese?

My level before:
My level after:

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

During my Master Course I had the opportunity to work for a consultancy company, so I my language skills improved considerably. However, I insisted in making presentations in English, both at the University as well as at work. It felt me feel more confident.

Useful | 0

anonymous

University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Language, Undergraduate, Erasmus

Languages

Language of instruction: Portuguese

Was learning Portuguese a key decision factor?

Yes, I wanted to improve my Portuguese

How much did you improve your Portuguese?

My level before: Basic phrases
My level after: At ease in most situations

Language difficulties

Social

Educational

Administrative / Institutional

Overall

Personal comments

Found it difficult to begin with as most Portuguese spoke to me in English once they found out where i was from. However, by the end of my stay i was confident wnough to speak the local language and people would not think of me as foreign.

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