Portuguese language is a Romance language that is spoken in Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese colonial and formerly colonial territories. Galician, spoken in northwestern Spain, is closely related to Portuguese. Portuguese owes its importance—as the second Romance language (after Spanish) in terms of numbers of speakers—largely to its position as the language of Brazil, where in the early 21st century some 187 million people spoke it. Brazilian Portuguese varies from European Portuguese in several respects, including several sound changes and some differences in verb conjugation and syntax. Despite differences in phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, Portuguese is often mutually intelligible with Spanish.

Portuguese isn’t the first pick for most people when it comes to foreign languages. Many have heard of the language, but not everyone knows how rich the language is or even where it’s spoken (outside of Portugal at least). Portuguese makes sense in the global economy. Brazil’s sheer size, large and dynamic economy—the ninth-largest in the world—and 200 million-strong population, make it a major destination for many international companies. Learning Portuguese will prepare you to work in such diverse fields as planning and consulting, finance and banking, tourism and hospitality, information sciences, diplomacy, journalism, publishing, advertising, government, social services, media, law, linguistics, health, and the arts, just to name a few. So, here we’re going to discuss some of the best iOS applications to learn Portuguese from:

1. WordReference: WordReference is going to give you pretty complete coverage of even the wildest corners of the Portuguese lexicon. The most interesting feature is the English-Portuguese forum, which is an option at the bottom of any look-up you make in the app. The app can also conjugate any Portuguese verb, and gives sometimes-useful links to Google image searches at the bottom of entries.
2. FluentU: FluentU sets itself apart from other language learning apps by using real-world videos, not generic programs geared for any language, nor staged and scripted scenes. You can then use FluentU’s unique Learn Mode to learn the words and phrases from the video through fun questions. It’ll always tell you when it’s time to review, and FluentU will also recommend new videos based on the words you already know.
3. Memrise: Memrise is most useful as a way to increase vocabulary. It uses a gaming system with flashcards that rely on repetition to make you memorize them. The app also provides you with thousands of video clips of native speakers speaking, bringing real-life language to your studies. Founded in 2010, Memrise has quickly grown and has now more than 40 million users.
4. Babbel: Babbel is free for download but you need to subscribe to a subscription plan to use it. The app focuses your lessons on your personal needs. For example, if you want to learn Portuguese because of your job or because of an upcoming trip. This app offers you a customer-tailored experience and gives you access to interactive dialogues and reviews to help you with past lessons.
5. Duolingo: Duolingo can be a good way to build vocabulary, in particular when used alongside other language learning methods. The focus is not on grammar, but rather on learning nouns, adjectives, verbs, and tenses that allow you to communicate around a given theme. The app is designed to be cheerful and the sections are short so you can always fit in a quick session during those brief spare free moments.

If you’re carrying these five apps in your pocket, we’re confident that you’ll be on a quick route to better Portuguese. These foster a kind of smartphone addiction that will actually improve your mind, and most of all, your interactions in real life.