The 6 best films to learn Portuguese • Wanderlix

You know Portuguese, but would you like to have a more authentic accent? To improve its pronunciation, nothing better than watching VO movies! Here is our selection of the best films to learn the language of Fernando Pessoa.

We take more pleasure in studying when we do something that we like! Thus, watching VO films is an excellent way to advance in Portuguese learning.

This will allow you to discover new words, new expressions and discover a little more local culture. This will also allow you to hear the actors speak, and thus to get used to intonation, pronunciation and accentuation of the language.

Anyway, watching films in Fernando Pessoa’s language is one of the best ways to advance and enrich your vocabulary! Here is our selection of the best films to learn Portuguese!

O Rei Leão

King Lion, O Rei Leão in Portuguese, is the 43rd Disney studio animation feature. He tells the story of Simba, the son of the king of animals. His uncle, jealous, covets his brother's throne. He then traps Simba to make the animals believe that he is the instigator of the plot leading to the death of the king. Simba flees the horde and takes on friendship for a suricate and a phacochère. When he became an adult, he eventually regained his place to save the animal kingdom.

It is important to know that cartoons in Portugal are all in Portuguese, so that children immerse themselves in the language of their country from their earliest childhood. This is not the case for foreign films, which are systematically presented in VO.

Watch King Lion, or any other Disney, in Portuguese will allow you to have a first approach to the language, with a vocabulary for children. It will be easy to understand, without difficulty at the level of grammar or verb conjugation, making it an ideal film to learn Portuguese.

A Herdade

This film tells the saga of a family owner of one of the largest areas of southern Europe, on the banks of the Tage River, from the 1940s to today. The difficulties of the dynasty in keeping its legacy, between changes due to the modernization of society and revolution of 25 April 1974 , which sees to collapse the monarchy in Portugal.

In Herdade takes you to the privacy of the Portuguese of the last century. If you have Portuguese friends, you will certainly find common points between their personal history and that of this family. To tell them this film promises long animated debates and the evocation of memories around the table.

An ideal film to learn Portuguese and learn more about the history of the country!

Pedro e Inês

This film is inspired by the legendary love story between Inès de Castro and the future King Pedro 1er of Portugal. He was promised to Constança Manuel, but he falls mad in love with Inès, coming to his cousin’s court.

She will become her mistress, despite her father's disagreement. The latter ended up decapitating Inès in 1355. Having become king a few years later, Pedro carried the remains of Inès to the monastery of Alcobaça, in a magnificent glove that can still be admired today. The tomb of Pedro is located right in front of his, at the other end of the monument.

The film Pedro e Inès tells the story of Pedro, a man interned in a psychiatric hospital because he was surprised to travel with the body of his wife Inès in his car.

We discover that he believes to remember the life of Pedro and Inès in the Middle Ages, that he is named Pedro Bravo today and that he imagines his future as Pedro Rey. The three facets of his life alternate in his mind and force us to follow his divagations. An exciting film to discover without further delay!

11 times Fátima

The film begins in Vinhais, a small town in North-East Portugal. There is a group of 11 women who walk to Fatima, the most important place of worship in the country, located more than 400 km from their village.

They will go through trials that will make them stronger and reveal their true personality and their deep motives. They are followed in their moments of doubt and extreme fatigue, until they arrive nine days later.

A nice film that will help you learn the vocabulary of everyday conversations, ideal for learning Portuguese!

The City of God

This film, which was banned in theatres less than 16 years old when it was released in 2003, plunges you into the most dangerous district of Rio de Janeiro, the Cidade de Deus (the city of God). Buscapé, the main character and narrator, is a sensitive young boy who grew up in this place where violence reigns.

He decides to become a photographer and not to yield to fatality. He describes the evolution of his place of life in the late 1960s in the mid-1970s. We discover the rise of gangs, the trafficking of arms and drugs and the loss of his childhood friends who do not want to get out of it.

This film is intended for people wishing to learn Brazilian Portuguese! If you have never seen this masterpiece, we advise you to discover it without further delay!

Central Brazil

The film Central do Brasil was acclaimed during his release in 1998. It follows the path of two characters that nothing seemed to have to gather. Dora is a retired teacher who writes letters for illiterate clients to curb his month-end.

One day, one of his clients died by a bus and left a nine-year-old boy, Joshua, behind her. Dora decides to collect him and help him find his father, whom he has never seen. Together, they embark on an initiatory journey to the northeast region. A moving film, which is also intended for people wishing to learn Portuguese from Brazil!

We hope that this selection of films to learn Portuguese will help you advance in learning the language of Fernando Pessoa. Don’t hesitate to tell us what movie you preferred!