So, what about writing along your own success story on language learning?

The Race is on!

As most Brazilians do, I grew up hearing about miracles in foreign lands.

Fortunately, still young, I woke up to the following reality: He who spends his whole life dreaming about succeeding in foreign lands usually loses good opportunities right under his nose.

In other words, such a person will never find treasure � even if it is buried in his own backyard!

I do agree that keeping your eyes in the future is important to get a proper perspective, but only if you act accordingly in the present. On the contrary, the most promising dream will sooner or later become a mirage.

That's why this story is based on a practical experience that has been working so far. Just as you, I continue learning, discovering and developing each and every single day.

My main goal is to help you identify your resources and your personal capacity, inspiring you to do your best to achieve your language goals.

Please do not consider me as a handbook or a manual. Though there is a physical and temporal distance between us, I write as if we were face to face. With the Internet and so many means of communication, there�s no reason for us to be apart.

Feel free to contact me. It will be a pleasure to meet you!

I believe my language learning experience began on October 31st, 1991.

That afternoon, I felt blind in the middle of crossfire. We were giving a welcome party to 28 foreigners who had just arrived and 4 Brazilians in Pernambuco � Brazil, and I was the only one who didn�t speak any English!

With everyone talking all at the same time, all I could do was pay attention to the facial expressions of the ones nearby.

Whenever I heard a joke being told, I would laugh out loud � not even knowing what it was all about!

Can you imagine what it feels like being a foreigner in your own country?

At that moment, I could do one of two things: start complaining � or learn English and move on. Guess what I chose...

Surprisingly, such an unusual beginning gave me the courage to dive into an outstanding learning adventure. I enjoyed it so much that teaching languages have become my lifetime career.

In the classroom, I've always tried to show how much I respect the students, and they usually correspond by relying on me as we learn the language together. As soon as they find a firm footing, they ask me questions like:

Well, I hope you get the answers to these questions and many others in the following pages. Please keep an eye on the tips and tricks along the way and practice the concepts, as you understand them.

Believe me, it is not rocket science.

Taking one step at a time you will have more reasons to have fun than I did at that welcome party. Much more.

After all, it's easier to laugh when you get the joke, isn�t it?


Unless Your House Catches on Fire...

We will follow together thirteen steps.

After each experience recorded, you will find tips and suggestions in the sections 'Between Us' and 'Points to Ponder'.

Take it easy � write down the thoughts you receive while reading each section. Some of them will probably be more interesting than the text itself.

You will also find appendices. On the first two you will find 'The 100 Most Common Verbs' and 'Words of the Portuguese Language' � with plenty of examples. Please notice that those resources represent more than 50% of the vocabulary used in every-day speech.

Right after, there are dozens of examples of cognates, which are English and Portuguese words with the same origin that are in some way related. There are about 1600 of these within the two languages, and you will be able to define them into 20 categories!

The last two appendices contain 'The 100 Most Common Portuguese Phrases' (with almost 300 examples) and '100 Flash Cards' to help you manage the basic vocabulary in a wink of an eye.

I did my best to prepare them in order to make it simpler and faster for you to learn the Portuguese language. I hope you appreciate it. Your comments and suggestions will be warmly welcomed.

Now it's your turn:

Grab your favorite beverage, a highlighter � If you've already printed your copy! � throw yourself on the sofa, and dive into this journey with me.

Unless your house gets fired, or the landlord requests it back, read this Ebook in full. Later, choose a step to take, and move on.

As you know, every meaningful thing in life has a price � and its own value. When I started studying English, I had many reasons to give up (except a fire or an impatient landlord). However, stronger reasons pushed me through it. That's why I really care about your progress.

Let me emphasize that I am not the author of the techniques here presented. I am just a daily user. So, if anyone blame me that I used other peoples' ideas, never mind...

I really did.