Prepare the speakers, the microphone and get ready for the concert of a lifetime! Are you excited? Cool, so are we! Music is one of the most beautiful art forms out there.
It can unite people; it can help you through tough times; it can liven up a party. It can also be pure entertainment, or it can be a protest. It can be many things and touch different topics. But did you know that it can even help you learn Portuguese?
That’s right! Music is yet another tool with which people can learn languages. So, if you’re looking to improve your Portuguese skills, listen to some Portuguese music. You’ll acquire vocabulary, as well as learn grammar, listening, pronunciation, and even reading and speaking. All while doing a common, everyday activity!
So, practice Portuguese with these songs that we’re about to show you if you want to master the language in a fun way. Come on, let’s blast those speakers!
1. Garota de Ipanema – João Gilberto & Astrud Gilberto
We had to start with this one; after all, it’s a classic! It’s even being recorded in different languages. You’ve probably already heard the English version “The girl from Ipanema”, which has been sung by many artists, including Frank Sinatra. But the original song is in Portuguese; it’s specifically from Brazil.
Composer, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and writer, Vinicius de Moraes, were inspired by a girl they saw pass many times by a bar. That girl was later revealed to be Helô Pinheiro.
It was first sung by João Gilberto. But it became even more popular and worldwide famous when Brazilian singer, Astrud Gilberto, joined the team to sing the English part.
“Garota de Ipanema” won 4 Grammy Awards! You’ve probably heard the version of your native language, but we bet you’ve also heard the original in Portuguese. And if not, it’s the perfect moment to check it out.
Key phrases:
- Que coisa mais linda – What a beautiful thing
- Um poema – A poem
- Se ela soubesse – If she knew
Enjoy the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5QfXjsoNe4
2. Amar Pelos Dois – Salvador Sobral
Salvador Sobral is a Portuguese singer. He was a contestant on the Portuguese singing show “Ídolos”. Later he studied music in Barcelona. But the best was yet to come…
In 2017, he won the “Festival RTP da Canção”, which is a contest to see who will be the representative of Portugal at the Eurovision show. So this means he got to participate at the Eurovision Song Contest of 2017! He did not only participate; he won!
Guess which was the winner song? Yep, “Amar Pelos Dois”, which, by the way, was written by his sister, Luísa Sobral.
This is a jazz love song with some common vocabulary you’ll definitely apply to your daily life. Lyrics aren’t very long. So it’s perfect for beginners. You’ll understand it easily and still learn.
Key phrases:
- Meu bem – My love / My dear
- Peço que regresses – I ask that you return
- Poco a poco – Little by little
Enjoy the Eurovision video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymFVfzu-2mw
3. Dinossauros – DINGO
DINGO is a Brazilian indie-rock band. In total they have five albums. The first one, “Maravilhas da Vida Moderna”, won two Prêmio Açorianos, which are some Brazilian awards that recognize different areas of the arts. And, in fact, “Dinossauros” belongs on this album!
This is a very calm and existentialist song. It will make you think and meditate about your life, your feelings, and your place in this big, wide world. It has a very nostalgic feeling to it.
Don’t worry, though. Despite the deep meaning and reflective nature of the song, it’s not hard to understand, because the vocabulary is not very difficult. As a matter of fact, it has some basic words and vocabulary useful to learn even for beginners, like the title “Dinossauros” (dinosaurs).
- Key phrases:
- Hoje eu me sinto – Today I feel…
- Sua imaginação – Your imagination
- Prometiam para todos – They promised everyone…
- Quando souberam – When they knew…
- Não voltariam – They wouldn’t come back
Enjoy the music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sid37M31gX4
4. Bom Dia, Boa Tarde, Boa Noite – Jorge Ben Jor
Jorge Ben Jor is a musician, singer and songwriter from Brazil. Basically, he’s an icon of Brazilian music. He’s experimented with different sounds, including samba, bossa nova, funk, and pop. In 2007, many of his songs ranked on Rolling Stone Brasil’s “100 greatest Brazilian music records” list.
Great news! “Bom Dia, Boa Tarde, Boa Noite”, one of the many songs by Jorge Ben, is the perfect song for beginners. First off, you’ll learn some important basic vocabulary that’s very commonly used.
That includes how to say “good morning”, a perfect phrase to greet someone nicely. Take that into account for your next trip to Brazil. You’ll also get to learn and practice different verbs, as they’re mentioned many times throughout the song.
This song is very repetitive. This is a great way to reinforce the knowledge and make sure you truly acquire the words. Remember: Repetition is key.
Key phrases:
- Bom dia – Good morning
- Boa tarde – Good afternoon
- Boa noite – Good night
- eu falo – I speak
- eu quero – I want
Enjoy the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oph9BfH5FgQ
5. Desfado – Ana Moura
Ana Moura is a Portuguese singer of the “fado” genre. Fado is a music from Portugal. No surprise why she’s such an icon there and why she’s won so many awards. Some of these awards include two “Globo de Ouro”. These are the Golden Globes of Portugal, but these are awarded to sports and different arts.
One of her albums is titled “Desfado”, which is also the name of the first song in that album. This is a great song to learn Portuguese. You’ll especially acquire vocabulary about feeling and emotions.
This is thanks to the fact that she mentions the words that name certain feelings many times throughout the songs, like sadness and happiness. There’s nothing more useful than learning to describe your feelings in another language!
Also, this repetition of those words will help your memory reinforce your new vocabulary.
Key phrases:
- Ai que tristeza – Oh, what a sadness!
- Ai que alegria – Oh, how happy!
- Que saudade! – How nostalgic
- Se eu pudesse – If I could
Enjoy the live music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZurR7xGk4c
6. Um Ser Amor – Paula Fernandes
Paula Fernandez is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and actress. She started singing when she was a kid, at just 8 years old. At 10 years old she released an independent self-titled album. Wow! During those young years she sang at parties.
Until at 12 years old, she was hired by a rodeo company. During those years she also released her second album. Talk about working hard, huh! So far, she’s released over ten albums, some with live versions.
But that’s not it. Guess what? She has a song with the one and only Taylor Swift! They sang together one of Swift’s songs, “Long Live”, on her tour. This version is sung in English and Portuguese, so it’s great for beginners.
The song “Um Ser Amor” is part of the Brazilian telenovela “Amor à Vida”. It’s a love song that has beautiful love phrases. So you’ll learn how to express your feelings, especially love, in Portuguese. It also has some basic vocabulary everybody must learn.
Key phrases:
- Livre como o vento – Free as the wind
- Me apaixonei perdidamente – I fell madly in love
- Amar alguém – To love somebody
Enjoy the live music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIMWP2qGE_U
7. Fácil de Entender – The Gift
The Gift is a Portuguese band of the alternative rock genre. They started in 1994, so they already have a great, long career. They even formed their own label, “La Folie”, in 1998. Since their first album they’ve found great success.
They’ve performed in MIDEM, an important music fair from Cannes. They’ve also won different awards, including a MTV Europe Award for Best Portuguese Act. So far, they have over 10 albums and they’ve written songs both in English and in Portuguese.
The song we recommend today is in Portuguese, and it’s from the album of the same title. It’s a live album with a couple songs with their studio version.
“Fácil de Entender” is a great song to learn Portuguese. This is because the vocabulary is not very elaborated, so it’s easy to understand. There are some really good, basic verbs you have to learn, because they’re of common use.
It also has some really good phrases you could use in your everyday life. One of those phrases it’s in the title! The best is that these phrases are constantly repeated along the song. And as we’ve said before, repetition is key to learning.
Key phrases:
- Fácil de entender – Easy to understand
- Imaginei – I imagined it
- Sei lá eu o que queres dizer – I don’t know what you mean
- Ñão sei – I don’t know
- Pensei – I thought
- Olhar para mim – Look at me
Enjoy the live music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-PgnBziPu8
8. Trebaruna – Moonspell
If you’re more into metal, this is your song! Moonspell is a Portuguese band, specifically from Brandoa. They sing gothic metal and have done it for a long time, as they were founded in 1989. They have really unique sounds.
They’ve found great success not only in Portugal, but also around other parts of Europe and even America. They’ve even reached and appeared on the German charts.
They write songs in English and in Portuguese. So it’s a great choice to practice your skills in both languages. Their song “Alma Mater” is in English, but with a small part in Portuguese. So there’s another great song to introduce yourself into their music and the Portuguese language.
Because if you’re not fluent in Portuguese yet, you don’t have to break your head thinking about what the whole song means. You’ll just have to do that with the Portuguese part.
What’s great about their songs is that you can find references to Portuguese culture and history. For example: Their album “1755” is a reference to the year of the Great Lisbon Earthquake.
Do you want another example of one song with Portuguese culture? Good news: today’s song recommendation, “Ataegina”, is about one of Lusitanian mythology’s goddesses. Plus, it’s in complete Portuguese. So you’ll learn the language and a bit about Portuguese mythology!
What’s better than that? We know language and culture go hand in hand.
“Ataegina” can be quite complicated. So we recommend it for intermediate and especially advanced learners. Metal music is already more for those language levels, as it can be fast and, therefore, more complicated to catch the vocabulary and pronunciation.
On top of that, you’ll find some basic words in the lyrics. But also, some that are more challenging or that at least aren’t words of daily use. Don’t worry, though. You got this! We’re sure you’ll learn a lot.
Key phrases:
- Cantam em coro – They sing in chorus
- Bebe o povo – The people drink
- Trazem esperança – (they) bring hope
- Lembram – Remember
Enjoy the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-hlFUEwuHA
Ready to Smash Your Next Karaoke Session? We’ll Help You!
Singing might be your passion or just a hobby, but we can’t deny it is super fun. Plus, now you know it’s an amazing tool for Portuguese learning. Sadly, that’s not enough to become masters of the Portuguese language.
We mean, how cool would it be to just listen to a few songs and suddenly speak fluently? But we still think that classes are important.
Don’t worry though. Portuguese classes can be as interesting and engaging as singing. And we prove it in our online TruFluency Portuguese lessons.
We teach based on the Bellieu Method, created by our founder and language expert, Micah Bellieu. This method consists of encouraging you to speak in your target language using all you’ve learned. So, you’ll practice and therefore, you’ll achieve Portuguese fluency!
You do know what that means, right? That you’ll smash your next Portuguese karaoke session with friends by impressing everyone with your language skills!
Oh, yeah, and we can’t forget that our lessons are customized to your language goals. What do you need? Is it more vocabulary? Or do you have to work on your pronunciation? Tell us and we’ll make a plan for you. A
nd if in the process you want some more Portuguese songs recommendations, ask our coaches! After all, they’re native speakers, so they know many great artists in Portuguese.
Take two one-hour trial classes now! They’re completely online and you can choose among our flexible schedules to fit your busy agenda.
