The hours behind the estimate
The calculator uses the guided learning hours that Cambridge English publishes for each level of the European framework. They add up from zero, at about 200 hours a level.
| Level | Hours from zero | At 4 hours a week |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 90 to 100 | 5 to 6 months |
| A2 | 180 to 200 | 10 to 12 months |
| B1 | 350 to 400 | About 2 years |
| B2 | 500 to 600 | 2.5 to 3 years |
Cambridge wrote those figures for English, and the A1 row here is simply half way to A2. They are widely borrowed for other European languages as planning figures, and that is how to read the date you get. It is a target to organise your week around.
The other number people quote comes from the US Foreign Service Institute, which trains diplomats. It puts Portuguese in Category I, the group of languages closest to English, at 24 weeks to reach professional working proficiency. That is 552 hours in class, at 23 class hours a week plus self study, which is a full time job. Nobody learning around a real life should measure themselves against it.
What actually changes the date
Hours a week matter more than anything else, and the calculator shows it. Move from three hours to five and A2 arrives months sooner.
A teacher matters because the published hours are guided hours. Study on your own counts, but it is usually slower, and speaking is the skill that falls behind when nobody is there to answer you. In my own lessons most committed adults reach A2 in 8 to 12 months with one lesson a week and regular practice between sessions, which is what the calculator gives you at roughly four to six hours a week.
Another Romance language helps a great deal with reading and much less with pronunciation. Spanish speakers often understand far more European Portuguese on paper than they can follow in a café, because we drop vowel sounds and speak quickly.
If A2 is your goal because of permanent residency, or the language part of citizenship, the exam you will sit is the CIPLE, and there is a full guide to preparing for it. If you are moving on a D7 visa, the D7 guide explains when the language requirement applies. And if you would like to see what a lesson looks like and what it costs, that is on the lessons page.
Put this calculator on your own site
If you write about moving to Portugal or about learning languages, you are welcome to use it. Copy the code below and paste it where you want the calculator to appear. It is free and it stays up to date on its own.
Where the numbers come from
The level hours are from Cambridge English, Guided learning hours. The diplomat figures are from the US Department of State, Foreign Language Training. The 8 to 12 months for A2 is my own experience with more than two hundred students.