What are Shorties?
You may have your own meaning, but around here, a Shorty is just a short conversation, article, or story recorded by native European Portuguese speakers and translated by our team.
A Shorty shows up at the end of most Units, so they are already worked into the learning path. For extra practice, there are hundreds more to explore under the Practice tab, along with Podcast episodes and Videos.
How do I use the Shorties?
You can simply listen to the Shorty, complete the Quiz, and move on, but to get the most out of it, we recommend getting creative and considering your own personal goals, learning style, and level. Read through this blog post for more detailed tips about how to use Shorties to help you learn Portuguese:
✨ How to Use Shorties to Learn Portuguese
✨ Overview of the Shorty player controls (managing speed/translation/etc.)
Basic Instructions
- Press the play button to hear the audio. The script is synchronized to the audio, so it will highlight each line as it is played.
- Use the translation icon to view the script in Portuguese only (PT), English only (EN), or both (PT/EN).
- Use the Vocabulary and Expressions tab to review and learn key words/phrases
- Take the Quiz to check your understanding or to practice your reading/listening comprehension.
- If you're doing a Shorty that is part of a Unit, complete the Quiz to reveal a link to the next Unit.
Finding Relevant Shorties
On the main Shorties page, you can filter by type, estimated level, or topic, to find exactly what you're looking for. Here are some quick links by difficulty level:
How Do I See the Translations and Quiz?
The audio-only version is free, but with membership you get access to all these useful features (in addition to the other membership benefits):
- Portuguese/English synced transcripts
- Vocabulary/Expressions list
- Tap a line and select a word to look up individual words in the Translator tool
- Quiz