Portuguese podcasts let you get Portuguese listening practice on the go. I listen at the gym and while walking, doing household chores, or driving. Portuguese-language podcasts also help me survive long hours on planes and buses!
Here are some of the best Portuguese podcasts I’ve found, divided into Brazilian Portuguese and European Portuguese podcasts.
Studies show that reading while listening boosts learning much more than listening only, especially for beginners and intermediates, so seek out podcasts with transcripts for when you have time to sit down and read along with the audio.
For this reason, consider upgrading to a paid subscription for access to transcripts if you find a podcast you love. Monthly costs are usually low. It’s also the best way to support your favorite shows.
While the recommendations include some longer podcasts in Portuguese, most reflect my preference for short episodes of 5-10 minutes — much more than that and I find I lose focus.
Just tap the title of each podcast to go to its website.
Table of Contents
Brazilian Portuguese Podcasts
Brazilian Portuguese Podcasts for Learners
Brazilian podcasts designed to help you learn Portuguese, with levels from beginner to intermediate.
1. Tá Falado
Levels: Advanced Beginner to Intermediate
Transcripts: Free PDF transcripts provided on each episode page on the website
This outstanding podcast created by UT Austin’s well-known Department of Spanish and Portuguese is designed for students with a previous background in Spanish. However, it’s so well-made that I think it would benefit those with no Spanish knowledge but with an interest in the language.
The episodes provide an invaluable comparison and contrast of Spanish and Portuguese grammar and pronunciation, with a focus on colloquial Portuguese of Brazil. The relaxed, humorous rapport between the North American and Latin American contributors adds to the enjoyment.
I recommend listening with the PDF transcript open as a reference. It’s really helpful to read along with the dialogue and also study the additional cultural and grammar notes.
2. Língua da Gente
Levels: Beginner to Intermediate
Transcripts: Free PDF transcripts available for download on the website
Another fantastic Brazilian Portuguese podcast from the University of Texas team. Unlike Tá Falado, Língua da Gente does not assume prior Spanish knowledge.
This series teaches colloquial Brazilian Portuguese through brief dialogues illustrating common real-life situations.
Each episode runs between 8-12 minutes. It includes a short dialogue, a line-by-line English translation, and more in-depth analysis of pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and cultural content.
3. Fala, Gringo!
Level: Intermediate
Transcripts: Free transcripts and vocabulary lists available on the website for the first season. Following seasons offer transcripts, vocab lists, grammar, exercises, a private Facebook group, and an excellent newsletter for a reasonable subscription.
Highly enjoyable, informative discussions of popular Brazilian culture and current events. Episodes run 15-25 minutes.
Leni, the show’s creator, is from Brazil’s Northeast and speaks a nice clear Portuguese. Tricky vocab is explained immediately in the audio or in the lists at the end of each transcript (available to paid subscribers only after the first season).
Follow Leni on Instagram for more vocabulary, grammar, and cultural tips.
4. Brazilian Portuguese Podcast
Levels: Advanced Beginner to Advanced
Transcripts: PDF transcripts available to paid podcast subscribers
Very fun, engaging show featuring natural conversations and helpful explanations of Brazilian culture and slang. Lessons often integrate fantastic Brazilian music.
The podcast includes both the Real Brazilian Conversations series for advanced learners (native speed conversations, Portuguese only) and the Weekly Expressions series for advanced beginners and intermediates with English explanations.
As an advanced intermediate student, the Weekly Expressions use a little too much English for me, but I still learn new vocabulary with each listen.
The Weekly Expressions podcast has just brief writeups that are available for free, but if you’re interested in the more advanced Real Brazilian Conversations, it’s worth purchasing the low-cost subscription for access to transcripts and videos. I like to watch the YouTube episode versions when available (subscribers only) with captions.
Tragically, the principal creator of this podcast, André Barbosa, passed away in 2019, but his friend and partner Guilherme plans to keep recording episodes.
Brazilian Portuguese Podcasts for Native Speakers
Take your Portuguese to the next level with the full immersion experience provided by podcasts made for native speakers.
New podcasts are constantly arriving. Find the hottest releases in Apple’s podcast rankings for Brazil.
1. Brasil-Mundo by RFI
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Detailed show notes (but not exact transcripts) accessible from your podcast app as well as on the website
This compelling series by Radio France Internationale features three-minute international news stories with a Brazilian connection as well as interviews with successful Brazilians around the world working in diverse fields such as the arts, science, journalism, or gastronomy.
2. Brasil-América Latina by RFI
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Detailed show notes (but not exact transcripts) accessible from your podcast app as well as on the website
Another excellent show by Radio France Internationale that provides three-minute reports on political, social, economic, scientific, and cultural topics from around Latin America with a focus on Brazil.
Related recommendations:
- RFI’s Brasil-África podcast features interviews with Brazilians living in Africa as well as African news with a Brazilian connection.
- Francophiles should also try RFI’s A Historia do Brasil nas Ruas de Paris, which presents the legacy of famous Brazilians in France like Oscar Niemeyer and Santos Dumont.
3. SBS em Português
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Available on the website
Interesting short interviews and features from multilingual Australian public broadcaster SBS, covering stories from Australia and around the world.
Mostly Brazilian Portuguese, but occasional news items from Portugal in European Portuguese.
4. Portuguese News – NHK World Radio Japan
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Individual news items available in written form on the website
Fourteen-minute daily summary of international news with a focus on Japan and Asia. The Brazilian presenters speak a slow, clear Portuguese.
Produced by NHK World-Japan, the international broadcasting service of NHK (Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai – Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Japan’s public broadcaster. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News and Deutsche Welle.
5. Carreira sem Fronteiras
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Engaging weekly interviews with Brazilians working abroad in such diverse places as the UK, Pakistan, or Vietnam.
The expat stories and discussions of culture and language are inspiring. See if there are interviews with Brazilians in your country. Hearing their take on your home culture is fascinating.
Episodes run 45 minutes on average.
6. Histórias de Ninar para Garotas Rebeldes
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
This Brazilian podcast is based on the global bestselling children’s books Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, inspiring stories about the lives of 100 extraordinary women from the past and present, from Elizabeth I to Beyoncé.
These modern fairy tales for girls are in a nice clear Portuguese suitable for learners. Many are read by well-known brasileiras like singer Daniela Mercury.
Episodes are 15-20 minutes.
7. Café Brasil
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Free transcripts for most episodes on the website
Writer Luciano Pires muses about philosophy, politics, and Brazilian culture in this popular weekly show. His monologues are interspersed with well-chosen música popular brasileira (MPB).
Recommended episodes:
- 360 – Urgente ou importante – Urgent vs. important tasks: Using your time effectively à la Stephen Covey
- 492 – Qual é seu propósito? – How to find your purpose in life
- 501 – Vai viver, cara – Powerful stories providing a poignant reminder of the brevity of human life. Try to listen to this one when you can really focus on it.
The Cafezinho episodes, also available as their own podcast, are short two-minute reflections on a particular topic.
Many thanks to my friend and amazing YouTube Portuguese teacher Philipe Brazuca for the outstanding episode suggestions.
8. Nerdcast
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
This entertaining weekly show running since 2006 is Brazil’s number one podcast, with a million downloads per episode.
Humorous discussions of all things geek: pop culture, movies, TV, science fiction, tech, comic books, and gaming, as well as more general topics like entrepreneurship, personal finance, history, and travel.
Nerdcast’s hilarious Speak English series discusses various entertaining topics related to English learning. Despite the title, episodes are 99% Portuguese. It’s fascinating to hear the Brazilian take on English slang and North American and British culture!
Episodes run 90 minutes on average.
9. O Assunto
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Each 25-minute episode of this daily Globo news show dives deep into a current issue.
Host Renata Lo Prete interviews journalists and other experts on a variety of subjects. In my opinion, she is not the most charismatic interviewer, but the topics are often fascinating. I tend to pick and choose the ones that pique my interest.
10. CBN Tecnologia da Informação
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced (an interest in consumer tech will aid comprehension)
Transcripts: None
Short consumer tech news updates by journalist Thássius Veloso. As a former software geek, I love this one.
11. Brazucas Pelo Mundo
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Enjoyable interviews with Brazilian expats around the world. See if there’s an episode in your country.
Many thanks to my favorite YouTube Portuguese teacher Philipe Brazuca for the recommendation.
12. Sessão de Cinema
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced (familiarity with the film being reviewed will aid comprehension)
Transcripts: None
Thoughtful movie reviews by popular YouTube critic Tiago Belotti.
Unfortunately no longer being updated. Cinephiles can still enjoy the back catalog though.
13. #Globo
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Daily 5- to 10-minute summary of Brazilian and international news designed for a millennial audience.
Concise and good listening practice if you don’t mind the slangy delivery and constant repetition of the word hashtaggy.
14. A Nossa Língua de Todo Dia – Pasquale Cipro Neto
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
One for the language nerds.
Pasquale Cipro Neto, or Professor Pasquale, popular Portuguese teacher and language expert, answers listener questions about real-life usage and grammar.
Professor Pasquale colorfully illustrates his points with excerpts from classic Brazilian music as well as news quotes from politicians and celebrities. It’s oddly soothing to hear the professor dispatch listeners’ burning grammatical dilemmas with charm and aplomb.
15. Rádio CBN
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Central Brasileira de Notícias, or Rádio CBN for short, is a Brazilian news radio network owned by media giant Grupo Globo.
CBN offers a huge array of Brazilian podcasts for every interest. I’ve highlighted my favorites individually above, but here are more recommendations:
- CBN Brasil – Short news clips with a focus on political and economic issues
- Jornal da CBN – Daily news and analysis with an entertaining team of commentators. Episodes usually 5-10 minutes. Also try the show’s second edition: Jornal da CBN 2ª Edição.
- Estúdio CBN – Excerpts from in-studio interviews and discussions of Brazilian and world news
- O Mundo em Meia Hora – Weekly half-hour news analysis that wraps up the big international and Brazilian stories
- CBN Rio – Top news from Rio de Janeiro city and state. Similar podcasts exist for other major areas like São Paulo and Brasília.
European Portuguese Podcasts
European Portuguese Podcasts for Learners
1. Practice Portuguese
Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Transcripts: Transcripts (conveniently synced to audio or as PDF) with optional English translations as well as many other resources such as lessons, videos, and quizzes available to premium members
When Joel Rendall moved to Portugal from Canada in 2012, he struggled to find quality European Portuguese learning resources. To fill the void, he and his Portuguese friend Rui created this innovative program popular with Portugal’s expat community.
This European Portuguese podcast offers an appealing mix of creative and humorous content including articles, unscripted conversations, scripted dialogues, and stories. Articles are read slowly at first and then faster a second time to test comprehension.
Rui often recruits Portuguese family and friends to participate in the episodes, with charming results.
Conversations often feature rapid, real-life Portuguese, so as an advanced intermediate student in Brazilian Portuguese unused to the European variant, I found the transcripts essential. They are available with a monthly membership.
Other premium features include a learning studio with beginner lessons.
Many episodes are Portuguese-only, so while intermediate and advanced learners can listen to the episodes in chronological order, beginners should sort by difficulty level and start with the easy episodes.
To make the podcast more accessible for novice learners, newer episodes feature short dialogues in Portuguese with a breakdown mostly in English to enable listening on the go without transcripts.
A second podcast, Shorties, offers daily two-minute audios with useful everyday conversations aimed at beginners and intermediates.
Be sure to also watch their wonderful video series about walking the Caminho de Santiago from Porto.
2. Portuguese Lab
Levels: Beginner to Advanced
Transcripts: Some episodes include free transcripts and vocabulary list; complete set available to premium members
This high-quality European Portuguese course is the brainchild of dedicated teacher and polyglot Susana Morais.
Weekly podcasts are classified by level, with episodes 01 to 77 for beginner, intermediate, and advanced Portuguese learners. Episodes from 77 onwards are for intermediate and advanced students.
Each episode has a particular focus, either vocabulary, grammar, a dialogue, phrases, or a mini-story, with an emphasis on real-world colloquial Portuguese.
Complete transcripts plus resources such as PDF and MP3 downloads and additional exercises available to paid members. It’s worth subscribing for access to these extras plus the support of a guided step-by-step course.
European Portuguese Podcasts for Native Speakers
Find Portugal’s most popular podcasts in Apple’s list of current rankings.
1. Um Minuto de Ciência por dia não sabes o bem que te fazia – RTP
Levels: Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
This science podcast for kids provides a daily one-minute episode on such diverse topics as whether Saturn has always had rings, how bats see in the dark, and why we need oxygen.
Bite-sized audios with simple explanations perfect for learners.
2. Portugueses no Mundo – RTP Antena 1
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Enjoyable daily show by Antena 1, one of Portugal’s three national radio channels produced by public broadcasting entity Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP).
Each episode features a 20-minute interview with a Portuguese national living abroad in such varied places as Norway or China.
See if there are interviews with Portuguese emigrants in your country. Hearing their take on your home culture is fascinating.
If you’re already familiar with Brazilian Portuguese, it may be easier to understand the interviews with Portuguese residents of Brazil since their Portuguese has often become abrasileirado.
3. Psicopatas Portugueses
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Portugal’s first true-crime podcast.
Based on the bestselling book “Psicopatas Portugueses – 13 Histórias Reais de Morte, Perversão e Horror” by clinical psychologist Joana Amaral Dias, who also narrates the series.
Each half-hour episode examines the mind of a killer in some of Portugal’s most infamous murder cases.
4. Não sei o que o amanhã trará – um passeio sonoro na Lisboa de Fernando Pessoa
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: Available on the website
Fans of enigmatic Portuguese poet and writer Fernando Pessoa shouldn’t miss this charming documentary series that traverses Lisbon recounting the story of Pessoa’s life in 15 short episodes.
The accompanying website offers maps and episode transcripts as PDF or video.
5. Hora dos Portugueses (Semanal) – RTP
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
This eclectic weekly program compiles short profiles of members of the Portuguese diaspora living abroad, as well as diverse manifestations of Portuguese culture around the globe.
There’s also a daily version with shorter episodes, but it doesn’t seem to be listed in any podcast directories. However, you can still listen on the RTP site.
Update: This podcast seems to be on hiatus due to Covid, but it’s worth checking out the back catalog.
6. À Volta dos Livros – RTP
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Book lovers will enjoy these daily three- to five-minute interviews with Portuguese authors about their latest works.
7. O Homem Que Mordeu o Cão – Rádio Comercial
Levels: High Intermediate to Advanced
Transcripts: None
Comedian Nuno Markl and guests banter about weird news of the day and other random absurdities in this lighthearted weekday show. Episodes average 10 minutes.
This popular radio series started in 1997. It has spawned three bestselling books and a TV show.
8. Tubo de Ensaio – TSF
Levels: Advanced
Transcripts: None
For a fun quick challenge, try these irreverent three-minute commentaries delivered with acid humor in rapid-fire slangy Portuguese.
You may also like:
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Have feedback on these podcasts in Portuguese or more Portuguese-language podcast recommendations? Please share your suggestions in the comments.
Hi,
i like your recommendations. Have you heard of FAXINA PODCAST – it a podcast about the brazilian house cleaners living in the USA. It is fantastic!
What a great theme for a podcast!