Started with a couple of simple questions. What is your name, what is your age.
Then she asked us both a few individual questions. I was asked where I live, asked to describe my house (number of rooms, location etc) , what I like about it, then asked to name a few of my hobbies. I only spoke for a couple of minutes and kept it really simple.
Then we were both given a photo and asked to describe it. Mine was of a bedroom (looked like something lifted from a luxury real estate listing). I listed the things I could see in it (I made sure to learn a lot of words for common household items), I mentioned that it looked like it was in a big expensive house, said I prefer smaller houses, said I like the art on the walls etc etc. Doesnât really matter what you say, whether you believe it or not, or how simple it is, just that you keep talking for a couple of minutes.
Then we had to interact with our partner. We were given a sheet with five images of people doing various activities - hiking, watching a movie, doing chores etc. We had a minute to prepare and then were prompted to talk to each other for a few minutes as if we were making plans for the weekend, we had to mention some pros/cons of doing each activity, then agree on one and set a time to do it.
It was pretty much over in 10 minutes. Overall, it was simpler than I expected, or maybe I just got lucky with topics I could talk about. I was pretty nervous at the start but the person taking the test spoke very clearly and was very friendly and encouraging, so I think that put us at ease.
So as to prep, Iâve been studying on and off since we got our visas, and that was almost 5 years ago. Practice Portuguese is great for basic vocab and grammar. Watched a lot of programs on RTP, listened to podcasts like 45 Graus or Portugueses No Mundo (some of the listening questions were lifted straight from that), and read some basic Portuguese stories and books for learners. For the past year Iâve been doing weekly 2 hour group classes by Zoom (just with a local teacher in my city) and weâre now heading into B2 material. You could pass with much less effort than I put in, but I like learning languages as a hobby and actually want to learn Portuguese to a useful level.
Thanks, that doesnât sound too bad, but like you say it may come down to luck on the day and what vocab topics you get! It feels to me like there are a certain number of âtopicsâ and youâre best placed to learn vocab around those topics well enough to recall it under pressure, rather than trying to learn 1000s of words.
Did you use a mix of tenses and different grammatical forms in your speaking test?
Would you say that Practice Portugueseâ classification of what grammar falls in A2 is accurate? The reason I ask is that Iâm currently taking an A1 course following the âPortugues a Valerâ text book. A fair amount of the grammar weâre learning in our A1 course is classed as A2 by PP.
In case anyone is looking for everyday vocabulary by subject (colours, food items, clothes, etc.). I like this one because it has buttons right next to the words for pronunciation. The downside is they are not flashcards so probably only good for review, not good for learning new words.
CIPLE goes up to A2 anyway so it doesnât matter if itâs A1 or A2.
If you look at Practice Portugueseâs units there are much more units in A1 and A2. So if you have time to finish A1 and A2 units, you could probably finish their B1 and B2 units too with just a litte more effort. For example subjunctive is under B2 but is actually quite simple, and learning it makes it easier to understand phrases like âou sejaâŠâ
I did. For A2, you really need a solid grasp of present indicative, preterite, the ir + infinitive future, and imperative forms.
As to your question about Practice Portuguese, it is excellent, but donât rely on that alone. The issue for all of these platforms like PracPort is the official CAPLE material doesnât list exactly what you need in terms of vocabulary, grammar etc, just what situations you should be able to handle. There is a reason for this. A2 is a standardised level that follows the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). And that framework describes competencies you need to master (introducing yourself, talking about daily routine, making simple requests etc). It doesnât outline any expected grammar (which makes sense given it is a standard that cover multiple European languages with different grammar). You can get a copy of the outline that CAPLE follows for the CIPLE test in the front of the books of sample tests called Exames de PortuguĂȘs CAPLE-UL - that book is widely available and I highly recommend doing the two sample tests before attempting the real thing.
I also used a textbook series by Ana Tavares called PortuguĂȘs XXI. That has books for A1 and A2 levels that are good at covering all the grammar you need to handle the day-to-day situations tested in CIPLE.
Learning the top 1000 words is a very good place to start. It wouldnât be hard to create a flashcard set from that page using something like Quizlet.
Have you come across a good set of flashcards for the most frequently used 2000 or 5000 words (or any number in between)? Without having to go through lessons/videos/modules PracticePortuguese style.
Thanks this is very useful. These tenses and forms weâve already learnt on my A1 course, so hopefully I can really solidify my knowledge of them before the exam. No I wonât just be relying on PP - planning to continue to work through the second Portugues a Valer exercise book, do lots of listening practice (Iâve bought the book that I think was recommended in this thread) and get a tutor to help with speaking practice.
The extent to which it matters is that if Iâve already learnt most of the verb tenses and forms needed for the A2 exam, that makes the challenge of getting from A1 to A2 much easier.
Has anyone taken the A1/A2 PLA language class with NIALP, Edusept or SegundaVida? They all offer classes similar to EdPro. But I have not seen anyone who completed one of these.
Or the government may just easily raise the language requirement to B1/2 while nationality law amendment is in limbo. Such regulatory adjustment is very easy for them.
Ideally A2 should also be grandfathered for those who already passed it, in case of any changes, but I am afraid it would be impossible to argue this in court as A2 was not explicitly advertized as part of the GV program, unlike citizenship. And itâs part of a regulation within regulation, which is even harder to defend as opposed to the main law one level down from the Constitution.
That said, A2 is also valid for PR, which is not likely to change with the current proposal, so if someone is close to PR they can use A2 there.
I would not hesitate to argue in court that the citizenship requirements were incorporated and locked in via participation in the program, based on these official representations from the immigration agency. My understanding of the principles of legal certainty are that retroactive benefits are permissible, but disadvantageous retroactive changes are not.
I am thinking about worst case scenario as geopolitical movement happens at rapid rate. The Govt might introduce validity to the language certificate (as I remember correctly France has been using it. I am also 100% certain that B1 German has only 1 year of validity in Getmany) . For example: C1 : lifetime; B2 5 years; B1 2 years, A2 1 yearâŠjust an example of how things can go south!
Iâve been thinking about putting myself to C1 this year but really feel like I want to have a break now and do not want to touch any books or learning materials.
Ignore the GV part, the government explicitly advertised A2 PLA / CIPLE as âvalid for citizenshipâ. Especially if you already took the class/test, saying itâs no longer valid for citizenship is a retroactive change that frustrates legitimate expectations.
It is valid today. Just because some people choose to take A2 class 5 years in advance doesnât mean the government is misleading people intentionally.
This class should be taken a few months before applying for a passport imho. But a few lawyers and people who benefit from a false advertising rushing everyone to âtake action nowâ, before you even got a residency card sometimes, although they could be helpful too in some edge cases.
You canât expect the government to be responsible for that.
