About the method
Short sessions, real phrases, lasting memory.
The promise
Real European Portuguese, one chunk at a time.
60 core chunks organised into 20 short sequential lessons. Each chunk is drilled across five skills and resurfaced by spaced repetition until it sticks. No word lists to memorise and forget.
Why chunks, not word lists
Fluent speech isn't assembled word by word. Native speakers pull ready-made phrases, or chunks, straight from memory: “Queria um café, por favor” is one unit, not five words. Learning chunks means what you practised is exactly what you'll say, with natural grammar and word order already baked in.
Spaced repetition (Leitner boxes)
Every chunk lives in one of five boxes. Answer correctly and it moves up, coming back after 1, 2, 4, 8 then 16 days. Get it wrong and it drops back to box 1. Reviewing just before you would forget is one of the most efficient known ways to build lasting memory.
Every skill, every session
Each short session cycles the core skills: listening (hear the chunk inside a sentence), reading (match sentences to meanings), writing (build the chunk from word blocks), pronunciation (say it out loud and get scored by your browser) and recall (see the English and say it in Portuguese from memory).
Real European Portuguese
The vocabulary, sentences and audio all target European Portuguese as spoken in Portugal, including the reduced vowels, nasal sounds and the characteristic final “sh”. You'll practise the phrases everyday life actually needs: cafés, transport, directions, shopping and small talk.
A session, skill by skill
Listening
Hear the chunk inside a real sentence and catch what you heard.
Reading
Match Portuguese sentences to their meanings, chunk by chunk.
Writing
Build the chunk from shuffled word blocks, the way you'll actually say it.
Pronunciation
Say it out loud and get scored by your browser's speech recognition.
Recall
See the English and produce the Portuguese chunk from memory, the hardest and most valuable step.
Questions learners ask
What is a chunk?
A chunk is a ready-made phrase locals use as a single unit, like “Queria um café, por favor”. You learn them whole and reuse them everywhere.
How does a practice session work?
Each lesson introduces 3 new chunks, then drills them across listening, reading, writing, pronunciation and recall, with due reviews mixed in. You can also run a review session of due chunks, sized to your daily goal, or drill chunks you have marked hard.
What is the quick refresher?
A fast set of 5 mixed questions from your recent chunks. It takes about a minute, and your answers still update the spaced repetition schedule.
What is spaced repetition?
Chunks you answer correctly move up the Leitner boxes and return after longer gaps (1, 2, 4, 8, then 16 days). Mistakes send a chunk back to box 1.
No sound or no mic?
Audio uses your browser's built-in European Portuguese voice, and pronunciation scoring uses browser speech recognition (best in Chrome). Allow microphone access when prompted, and check that a Portuguese voice is installed on your device.
What does it cost?
Free for 3 days, then $19.95 once for lifetime access. You can check or change your plan in Settings.
Simple pricing
Free for your first 3 days. Then $19.95 once, for lifetime access to every chunk, lesson and drill. No subscription and no ads, and your progress and paid status stay on your account, so access follows you to any device you log in on.
Who ProntoPT is for
ProntoPT is for anyone starting European Portuguese from scratch or shoring up rusty school Portuguese: travellers heading to Portugal, professionals working with Portuguese colleagues, and heritage learners reconnecting with family roots. Sessions are built for busy people: about ten to fifteen minutes a day, on your phone, with every lesson small enough to finish on a commute or a coffee break. If you have tried vocabulary apps and still frozen in real conversations, the chunk-first method is the missing step between knowing words and speaking naturally.
Who builds ProntoPT
ProntoPT is an independent product made by a small team of language learners and European Portuguese teachers who build the chunk bank, drills and review schedules by hand. We use the app ourselves, we read every piece of feedback, and the course grows with what learners actually need. Questions, suggestions or a problem with your account? Send us a message and we will get back to you by email.
What you'll get out of it
Within a few weeks of short daily sessions you should be able to greet people, order food and drinks, ask for and understand directions, buy tickets, handle shopping and keep up simple exchanges, all with recognisably European pronunciation. The core chunk bank grows to cover the most frequent everyday phrases, and consistent review keeps them in long-term memory.