William Paterson University is offering two introductory Portuguese online courses for the Summer 2025 term. This is the first time the university has offered these courses in several years, according to Professor Bruce Williams.

10 countries have Portuguese as an official language. Some of these countries include Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde, according to Lingoda.com. As of 2025, there are 266.6 million Portuguese speakers worldwide, making it the eighth most spoken language, according to Ethnologue. With these courses, you can learn about this popular language.

In these summer courses, according to Student Registration, students will gain a basic understanding of how to read, write, speak, and comprehend Portuguese.

The courses focus more on Brazil, but also “introduces cultural material related to Portugal and Lusophone Africa and Asia,” according to Student Registration.

The first course is Basic Portuguese I, which is held from May 27, 2025, to June 19, 2025, according to Student Registration. This is a prerequisite to the second summer course.

Once you have completed Basic Portuguese I, you can move on to Basic Portuguese II, which is held from June 23, 2025, to July 18, 2025. This course offers a further understanding of what was previously discussed in the first course.

“It is good for anyone who knows no Portuguese, but has an interest in either Portugal, Brazil, Portuguese Africa, or Portuguese spoken in Asia. It is also perfect for those who speak Portuguese at home and would like to hone their writing and grammatical skills,” Williams said.

If you’re interested in learning Portuguese, these courses can help you get started.