Globally, Portuguese is the eighth most widely spoken language with over 250 million speakers across eight countries and five continents. Portugal is a member of the European Union and maintains strong ties with its former colonies in Africa, Asia and South America. Brazil houses the majority of speakers whose language is shaped by ancient heritage, colonial history and global migration.

Portuguese is a language of commerce, science, technology, international partnership and rich in linguistic, literary and artistic heritage. Like English, Portuguese has an Indo-European origin, so is relatively accessible to English speakers, and in particular to speakers of other Romance languages.

Studying Portuguese at ANU will equip you with the necessary skills to communicate and function effectively in Portuguese-speaking environments, and with a knowledge and understanding of culture and traditions in Portuguese-speaking countries around the world, which will greatly enhance your global cultural insight.

Portuguese language courses can be taken without prior knowledge, however if you have previous knowledge of the language, you can take a placement test so you start Portuguese at the most appropriate level.