Portuguese Placement

Beginning and Intermediate Portuguese Classes at UNM: No placement evaluation is required.

The Portuguese program has the right language courses for students at UNM with diverse language backgrounds. Our adviser and our instructors will help students select the best course for their needs. Most of our students are learning Portuguese as a 3rd language, in essence putting Portuguese on top of English and another Romance language, such as Spanish or French. In any given semester 60-80% of our students are Spanish speakers, and up to 40% are native Spanish speakers. We have courses for Spanish speakers that use comparisons between the two languages and special materials. These similarities allow for faster paced study than traditional language courses.

Beginning Portuguese Language courses for Spanish speakers

(Students who had 3-4 years of high school Spanish, or are heritage or native speakers):

• PORT 1120 - Elementary Portuguese II – This course meets 3 days a week for 3 credit hours and fulfills the Core Curriculum requirement. The materials covered are chapters 1 - 8 of the Portuguese textbook which prepares students to take more advanced courses in Portuguese. For continuing students, PORT 2120 would be the next course to enroll in.
• PORT 2120 – Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers – This course meets 3 days a week for 6 credit hours that satisfies the requirement for the Spanish major two years language study. Materials covered are chapters 1 - 15 of the Portuguese textbook. This is an accelerated language class for Spanish speakers with strong language skills. For continuing students, PORT 311 would be the next course to enroll in. 

Beginning Portuguese Language courses for language learning beginners

(For students with no previous language experience, or limited language study):

• PORT 1110 - Elementary Portuguese I – This course meets 3 days a week for 3 credit hours. The materials covered are chapters 1 - 4 of the Portuguese textbook. For continuing students, PORT 1120 would be the next course to enroll in.

Intermediate to Advanced Portuguese Language courses:

• PORT 301 – Conversation and Pronunciation – This course meets 3 days a week for 3 credit hours. It is designed for those who want to continue their study of the Portuguese language and culture. Pronunciation and conversation focus on issues related to Brazilian culture such as music, film, popular culture, etc. For continuing students, PORT 311 or 312 would be the next course to enroll in.