Portuguese is the third language I'm studying to a serious level. I did an A-level in German but that language lies somewhere between dormant and extinct in the recesses of my mind. I began French at primary school after my mother signed me up to an after school club and I fared well throughout my teens, before going on to study the language at university. Italian was also part of my degree albeit ab initio - I only started studying it when I began my BA. Either way, I made s

I'll begin with a confession. I don't like the term "add". Yes, I understand the verb is used, in this case, to describe bolstering one's language combination but to me it conjures up images of simple arithmetic or casually grabbing something from a shop shelf. Indeed I wrote "add" in italics and inverted commas in the first draft of my opening blog post. To my mind, this term does not do justice to the linguistic feat that is learning a language to a level from which one can

In March 2015, I moved to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. I was seeking a new professional challenge and a change of scenery, yet my primary objective was to learn the language, with a view to adding Portuguese to my working combination as a conference interpreter. After 18 months of Portuguese study, I now feel the need to discuss a process which is often referenced by colleagues albeit rarely explored in greater depth. I shall endeavour to blog about my experience on a cons