G’day, you mob! Let me tell you about how I learned Brazilian Portuguese, the ups and the downs, and why I still reckon I suck at it. It all started when I was training jiu-jitsu and got a bit jealous of all the multilingual folks around me. So, I took the plunge with Duolingo for the basics and then dove into grammar books and podcasts. Podcasts were a game-changer, especially when I switched to a 100% Portuguese one called Café Brasil.

I also became a bit of an Anki addict, using it for vocab practice, and I devoured books and TV shows in Portuguese, even weird stuff like the rural news on YouTube! To really up my game, I talked to my wife (who’s Brazilian) as much as possible and even lived with a bunch of Brazilians for a while. That was full-on immersion!

Of course, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Having kids and a busy life made it tough to keep up the intensity, and my Portuguese definitely suffered. But hey, I can still chat about everyday stuff, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.

Now, I’m exploring new tools like ChatGPT to make learning fun and easier. If you’re learning a language, I say give it a go! Remember, it’s all about finding what works for you and keeping at it. Feel free to share your own language learning adventures in the comments below!

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