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Portuguese (Portugal) · 3-year-olds

Portuguese for 3-year-olds

Three-year-olds are talking more every week, asking "why?" constantly and starting to play pretend. That makes it a lovely age to add Portuguese: they can copy whole short phrases, join in with call-and-response, and use new words in their games.

Is it a good fit? Three is a great age for the songs: well inside the 2–8 range they're designed for.

What's realistic at three

A realistic goal is a handful of words and phrases your child understands and sometimes uses: greetings, please and thank you, a few animals and colors, counting to three or five with you. Some children will say much more, some much less; both are fine.

Call and response suits this age

The songs go back and forth: an English word or line, then the Portuguese one. Three-year-olds pick up that pattern quickly and start shouting the answer, which is exactly the kind of active listening that helps words stick.

Use pretend play

Teddy only speaks Portuguese. The toy shop takes orders in Portuguese. Three-year-olds happily accept rules like this, and it gives them a reason to use the words.

Portuguese words to start with

Words from the songs below that fit this moment. Tap one for pronunciation help and practice ideas.

EnglishPortugueseSounds like ≈
hellooláoh-LAH
pleasepor favorpoor fuh-VOR
thank youobrigadooh-bree-GAH-doo
cato gatooo GAH-too
redvermelhover-MAY-lyoo
numbers 1 to 10um, dois, três…OONG, DOYSH, TRESH…
Good to know about Portuguese: European Portuguese swallows unstressed vowels and turns a final s into "sh", so it sounds quite different from how it's written, and from Brazilian Portuguese. Lean on the audio more than the spelling.

Portuguese songs for 3-year-olds

Hand-picked from the Portuguese library. Songs marked Free are part of the free first unit; the rest are Premium.

Quick tips

  • Pick one Portuguese phrase per week and use it every day (for example please at snack time).
  • Give a favorite toy a Portuguese name and let it "only understand" Portuguese words.
  • Ask questions from the songs, like "what does the cat say?", and let your child answer.
  • Keep sessions short: one or two songs, then something else.

Questions parents ask

My 3-year-old answers in English. Is it working?

Yes, that's very common. Understanding usually comes before speaking. If your child responds correctly to a Portuguese word, even in English, they've understood it.

Can a 3-year-old use the app alone?

The app is designed so a child can press play and sing along, but at three it works best with you nearby, singing too. It has no ads and no autoplay into other videos.

Sing it in Portuguese, free

The first unit, 6 greeting songs with lyrics and English translation, is free forever. No card needed. Premium unlocks all 134 songs.

Start free — no card