Reviews of Oficina de Portugues, Porto, Portugal

Total number of reviews: 42

NOTE: All reviews are authentic. Only students who booked their course through us can publish evaluations here, and only after the end of their programme. These evaluations then are not manipulated in any way, neither by us nor by the school, and can be trusted as honest opinions about personal experiences with the school.

Average Rating

Based on 42 reviews of former students of Oficina de Portugues

Accommodation
Overall rating Oficina de Portugues, Porto, Portugal	4.8
City	4.7
Organisation	4.7
Facilities	4.4
Social activities	3.7
Quality of teaching	4.8
Value for money	4.7
Homestay	4.7
Shared Flat (apartment)	5.0
Other	---

Back to profile of Oficina de Portugues, Porto

Individual Reviews

Oficina de Portugues

17. Apr. 2024

1. Marjon

101.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

4. Apr. 2024

2. Lidiia (16 years)

102.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

11. Mar. 2024

3. Estela (49 years)

103.Course: Standard Portuguese Course [Portugués] - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Very dynamic and intense teaching in small groups.

11. Mar. 2024

4. Alicia (53 years)

104.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Very participative classes and it seems to me that I have improved to start from zero. Interesting Oporto tour.

Negative aspects

Perhaps not proposing more activities.

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

Very good location, one minute from a shopping center and the main street.

Other comments

The school's teachers are pleasant and attentive.

City/place

Porto seems to me a pleasant and easy city to walk around in spite of its slopes and the pavement of some of its streets. The distances are not big. Good food. Recommended city.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Classes with a few people, so that participation can be greater.

29. Jan. 2024

5. Yvan (64 years)

105.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Thank you to Angela and Vanessa who are excellent teachers and always available, the lessons are very well organised, learning the language is easy but of course you have to work after the lessons and above all learn by heart, especially irregular verbs....but this applies to all languages, it's a must. Private lessons are important to develop listening and speaking skills and to work on weak points. The school is close to Sao Bento station.

Negative aspects

no activities or excursions, so I didn't give it a mark

City/place

A very beautiful town, with a pleasant population, very good traditional restaurants and perfect for shopping. Many monuments and museums ....

22. Jan. 2024

6. Thomas (59 years)

106.Course: Intensive Portuguese Course + 10 - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Beatrix and Rita are excellent teachers and I will definitely come back and continue learning.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Very intensive and focussed

15. Jan. 2024

7. Michaela (54 years)

107.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

---

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The lessons were very effective with lots of information about the Portuguese language and also about the culture and life in Portugal. It was a very pleasant learning atmosphere. Ângela also talked a lot about herself, so that the lessons were always lively and never boring. Questions could be asked at any time and were always answered very well.

Negative aspects

The pace of the course was a little too fast for me. However, this was due to the fact that I had absolutely no prior knowledge. I would have benefited from a few more direct, simple exercises in class to reinforce what I had learnt.

City/place

I like the mixture of old buildings and new attractions. It wasn't so crowded in winter. In summer it is perhaps a little too touristy. It's a shame that so many small shops and restaurants away from the pedestrianised area have been closed and abandoned.

Accommodation

Carlos and Maria are very nice hosts. I felt very welcome and comfortable there.

14. Dec. 2023

8. Marjorie

108.Course: One-to-One Skype Lessons - 5 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

22. Nov. 2023

9. Gudmundur (38 years) Portugal
109.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Vanessa who has been teaching us in the group classes is an excellent teacher and attentive to the students, adapting the classes depending on questions.

Negative aspects

The level during the first week was a bit too low for me as I have some base in the language, not a complete beginner. I mainly felt that from questions from other students during the classes, most of them were about things I knew, meaning the questions and answers were not useful for me. This can of course happen in group classes, but not in private classes. I haven't tried private classes yet but aim to do so later. There were no social activities in the first week and nothing announced for this week either.

Other comments

I have now tried studying for two weeks at another language school in Porto, where the teachers were also really good. However, the emphasis there on grammar was too heavy. There is more emphasis on conversation at Oficina and the amount of grammar less, which is much better.

City/place

Porto is one of the nicest cities I've been to, my favourite city in Europe so far.

13. Nov. 2023

10. Annegret (65 years) Germany
110.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

High quality of teaching, very good atmosphere in the school, everybody was very friendly and I learned a lot.

Negative aspects

I liked everything. I didn’t know about afternoon activities and it didn’t matter that they were not offered.

City/place

I will come back.

Accommodation

Extremely helpful and friendly. Very nice place to stay. I was made to feel very welcome.

7. Nov. 2023

11. Séverine

111.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

31. Oct. 2023

12. Christine Germany
112.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

---

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

19. Oct. 2023

13. Esteban (58 years)

113.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

16. Oct. 2023

14. Ingrid (28 years) Norway
114.Course: Intensive Portuguese Course + 5 - 3 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

9. Oct. 2023

15. Marjorie France
115.Course: Private Lessons - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

---

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

19. Sep. 2023

16. Bettina

116.Course: Standard Portuguese Course [Portugiesisch] - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Very small classes, individual needs and level were very well catered for. Teacher super nice!

City/place

A lot of tourists, loud.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Standard

Accommodation

Friendly hosts. Unfortunately it is quite noisy (motorway traffic noise, extensive barking from the nearby veterinary clinic).

16. Aug. 2023

17. Stephanie

117.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

25. Jul. 2023

18. Simon (52 years) Switzerland
118.Course: Standard Portuguese Course [Portuguese] - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Rita was a super teacher. The classes were small. In the pause we could drink coffee for free.

Negative aspects

No library available.

25. Jul. 2023

19. Susanne (50 years) Switzerland
119.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Our teacher Rita was great! She made me loving Portugal.

Negative aspects

The first day - we arrived at 9 and we were in the classroom. There was no introduction.

City/place

It‘s a nice city. Many many people everywhere.

3. Jul. 2023

20. Leo (20 years)

120.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 11 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

26. Jun. 2023

21. Georgiana (70 years) Portugal
121.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The language teachers are excellent. Materials were presented in a thorough and concise manner.

Negative aspects

The classroom was too hot.

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

If you are taking the intense class it is good to have some basic knowledge even if you are a beginner.

City/place

It is an excellent place to visit.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Great class.

20. Jun. 2023

22. Diane Réunion
122.Course: Intensive Portuguese Course + 10 [Portugais] - 3 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

---

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Shared Flat

19. Jun. 2023

23. John (62 years) United States
123.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Very friendly and professional teachers. I learned a lot and they were very encouraging

Negative aspects

Everything was great! I went on a super excursion with the school. Maybe more activities after classes would be my only suggestion.

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

Even if people respond in English, just continue to speak Portuguese. Just say that you came to Porto to learn and they will respond favourably.

Other comments

Excellent school

City/place

I like Porto a lot and the food is amazing

Quality of teaching / language progress

I learned a lot of vocabulary and had plenty of opportunities to speak Portuguese.

5. Apr. 2023

24. Juan (26 years)

124.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

30. Mar. 2023

25. Ute (60 years)

125.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Ângela is a wonderful, warm-hearted and very competent language teacher!!!! I would never have thought that I could learn sooo much with sooo much fun within one week :)

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

Just do it

Other comments

Wonderful language school with HEART and mind :)

City/place

O Porto is a great place to start learning about Portugal and a great base for a language course :)

Quality of teaching / language progress

Suuuuuper!!!!

27. Mar. 2023

26. Robert (64 years)

126.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Super teaching from Angela. We felt very comfortable and can highly recommend the school. Many thanks

Other comments

Great location and great teaching

City/place

Beautiful city, but I think very touristy. Whether the citizens of Porto are living in Porto would be an important question for me.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Super course

14. Feb. 2023

27. Elke (66 years)

127.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

---

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The teacher did not only consider the language level but also the interests in the choice of materials. Personally, I also liked the fact that corrections were made consistently.

City/place

A bit crowded at the "places to be", even in winter. But there are enough cafés, restaurants and bars off the beaten track.

Quality of teaching / language progress

I am completely content; it should have been neither more nor less.

17. Oct. 2022

28. Jochen (57 years)

128.Course: Intensive Portuguese Course + 10 [Portugiesisch] - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

11. Aug. 2021

29. Marvin (21 years)

129.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

19. Jul. 2021

30. Carol (61 years) Belgium
130.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Excellent teacher. Perfect mix of grammar, vocabulary, listening and speaking, reading and writing skills. Very friendly and supportive atmosphere.

Other comments

Very helpful.

City/place

It’s very beautiful and there’s plenty to see and do. Great food.

Quality of teaching / language progress

Excellent. I made a lot of progress.

6. Oct. 2020

31. Anna (51 years) Switzerland
131.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Lovely teacher, small group, varied exercises.

Negative aspects

All good, but no afternoon activities on offer.

City/place

Porto is a great place, small enough to be easily manageable, but has a lot to see and do.

21. Jul. 2020

32. Anna (51 years) Switzerland
132.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

City/place

Again, the covid situation meant the nightlife was not as usual.

Quality of teaching / language progress

It was a great experience and Rita was a super teacher. I cannot comment on afternoon activities as these were cancelled due to the covid situation.

13. Jul. 2020

33. Carol (60 years) Belgium
133.Course: Standard Portuguese 20 [Portuguese] - 1 week

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

---

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Very professional yet friendly.

City/place

Loved it!

Quality of teaching / language progress

Excellent! I will return!

7. Apr. 2020

34. Darren (46 years) United Kingdom
134.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 4 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The central location and affordable price.

City/place

Again, I was unable to experience nightlife due to the Coronavirus...

Quality of teaching / language progress

Unfortunately, my experience was interrupted by the Coronavirus crisis and consequently activities and excursions were not possible...

24. Mar. 2020

35. Rebeca (43 years)

135.Course: Extensive Portuguese Course - 4 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

In general all good (facilities, location, cleanliness, etc.), highlighted by the staff that runs it.

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

Porto is not cheap at all.

Other comments

Highly recommended!

Quality of teaching / language progress

Professional, competent, qualified staff, with high availability of help and great capacity to adapt to each student to advance in learning. My experience with them has been very positive. I highly recommend the school.

9. Mar. 2020

36. Irmhild (75 years)

136.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

---

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The competent teacher

2. Mar. 2020

37. Leopold (75 years)

137.Course: Standard Portuguese Course - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

25. Dec. 2019

38. Ana (43 years) Croatia
138.Course: Extensive Portuguese - 6 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

Teachers

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

The school should have a more individual approach with the methodology of learning the language.

Other comments

Nice location and good faciities. Everyone was so kind, too.

Quality of teaching / language progress

I would appreciate it if the methodology of teaching would concentrate more on practicing what we learned instead of teaching us new grammar and lots of new vocabulary almost everyday. However, all teachers were very kind, patient and nice. I also appreciate very much that they let me attend 4 hours per day.

15. Oct. 2019

39. Lotta (25 years) Switzerland
139.Course: Standard Portuguese 20 - 2 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Oficina de Portugues has wonderful teachers who are able to adapt to your needs. You just need to keep in mind the pros and cons of a very small school.

7. Oct. 2019

40. Christoph (73 years)

140.Course: Private Lessons - 3 weeks

Overall rating

Value for money

Detailed review

City/place

School organization

Facilities (library, classrooms)

Social activities

Quality of teaching / language progress

Accommodation

Host Family

Additional information

Positive aspects of school

The relaxed atmosphere and flexibility.

Insider tips about what future students should not miss

To discover for yourself. I really enjoyed the walks along the Douro to the seaside, and cities like Guimarães, Braga and Aveiro.

Other comments

See above No 1.

City/place

A very nice city. I didn't go out at night.

Quality of teaching / language progress

A small school with a nice staff. I found that the courses were given a bit quickly for a beginner. The course material could be a little more careful, it is often double-sided photocopies, but where the back was in the opposite direction to the front. I would have preferred to buy the course book. But overall I feel like I have made some progress because as of the second week I started to catch words in the phonetic 'soup' of Portuguese, for example in the subway or in the street. It would be nice to have a room available for reading, doing homework, etc. All in all a very good stay. Thank you to my teachers Angela, Tereza and Rita.

Accommodation

No meal was provided for in the contract, but my hostess invited me several times for an evening meal, but you have to be vegan. I'm not, but I like to try and it was good. On the other hand, you must not be allergic to cats. She has six and still has four other animals. Occasionally she also keeps dogs for people. All this in perfect order and a very welcoming interior.

12. Sep. 2019

41. Grégory (40 years) Belgium
141.Course: Extensive Portuguese - 1 week