BicaLearn European Portuguese – the way Portugal speaks it
Short, friendly lessons in the Portuguese of Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, with English as your helper language.
No account needed. Works on your phone and your computer.
Portugal and Brazil speak differently
Most language apps teach the Portuguese of Brazil. In Portugal, many everyday words are different, and so is the sound. Bica only teaches the Portuguese of Portugal. A few examples:
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train
In Portugal
comboio
In Brazil: trem
-
bus
In Portugal
autocarro
In Brazil: ônibus
-
breakfast
In Portugal
pequeno-almoço
In Brazil: café da manhã
-
mobile phone
In Portugal
telemóvel
In Brazil: celular
It sounds different too. In Portugal, unstressed vowels are often swallowed (pequeno sounds more like “p’kenu”), and an s at the end of a syllable sounds like “sh” (três sounds like “tresh”). Brazilian Portuguese keeps its vowels open and clear, so Brazilian audio won’t train your ear for Portugal.
More differences between European and Brazilian Portuguese →
What you’ll learn
16 units and 79 lessons, from your first olá to the health centre, the bank and the Finanças.
A1 Beginner (Units 1–10)
A2 Elementary, CIPLE level (Units 11–16)
Moving to Portugal?
Portuguese citizenship requires A2 Portuguese for most applicants, and it is usually proven with the CIPLE exam. Bica covers A1 to A2: the everyday Portuguese of the café, the doctor, the bank and the paperwork, with listening practice in a European Portuguese voice.
Coming soon: practice exams in the CIPLE format.
The citizenship language test, explained →
CIPLE A2 vocabulary →
How it works
About five minutes a lesson
Listen, tap, build and type real sentences. Short enough for a coffee break.
Smart review
Words come back just before you would forget them, and the ones you got wrong are saved as “tricky ones” to practise.
Portugal voices only
Every sentence has audio in a European Portuguese voice. The app never switches to a Brazilian voice.
No lives
Make as many mistakes as you need. A wrong answer comes back once, a little easier, and you always finish the lesson.
No ads
Free during the beta, with nothing to buy and no account needed.
Questions
Is Bica European or Brazilian Portuguese?
Only European Portuguese, as it is spoken in Portugal. Every word, sentence and grammar note is checked automatically for Brazilian vocabulary, spelling and grammar before it is published, and all audio uses a European Portuguese voice, never a Brazilian one. If you type a Brazilian form in an exercise, the app shows you what people say in Portugal. More in European vs Brazilian Portuguese.
Is Bica free?
Yes. Bica is in free beta: the whole course is free, with no ads, no lives to lose and no subscription.
Does it help with the A2 / CIPLE requirement?
Yes, as preparation. Units 11–16 reach A2, the level of the CIPLE exam, with the words and grammar for health, work, travel, services and paperwork, plus listening practice and, in browsers that support it, speaking practice. Bica is not an official exam course, and practice exams in the CIPLE format are coming soon. See the citizenship language test and CIPLE A2 vocabulary.
Do I need an account?
No. You can start straight away, and your progress is saved on your device. If you want to learn on more than one device, you can create a free account with your email address to sync your progress between them.