University of Cuenca Is Opening Online Portuguese Courses — $105 for the First Level
Cuenca Expat Staff
The Program
The Universidad de Cuenca has opened registration for online Portuguese courses, run in partnership with the Instituto Brasileiro-Ecuatoriano de Cultura (IBEC) (source).
The program is structured as "siete niveles, con una carga horaria de 40 horas por nivel" — seven progressive levels, 40 hours each, delivered online "a través de la plataforma Zoom."
Cost
- First level: $105
- Required course materials: $59
- Total entry point: $164
The materials are "de uso obligatorio" — not optional. Plan for both.
Later levels presumably follow a similar price structure but aren't spelled out in the source. Contact the university directly to confirm.
Logistics
- Modality: Online, via Zoom.
- Minimum enrollment: "cursos se abrirán con un mínimo de 12 participantes" — courses only open if at least 12 people sign up.
- Seats: "Los cursos cuentan con cupos limitados" (limited spots).
- Registration: Online form, linked from the university's official announcement and accessible by QR code.
Contact
- Phone: (02) 2556-883
- WhatsApp: 0987413522
No start date or enrollment deadline was specified in the source — which usually means it's first-come/first-served until the minimum is hit, so if you're interested, register early.
Why It Might Make Sense for You
- Portuguese is the third most-used language in Latin America, after Spanish and English. If you travel to Brazil — or plan to work there, or have family there — Portuguese pays off fast, because Brazilians generally don't meet you halfway in Spanish the way Ecuadorians tend to.
- It's close enough to Spanish that the learning curve is gentle. If you already read and speak Spanish reasonably well, Portuguese at A1/A2 is the easiest second Romance language you'll ever pick up. A lot of the grammar transfers cleanly.
- $105 for 40 hours is a bargain compared to U.S. equivalents. A Brazilian Portuguese immersion course in the U.S. runs $600-$1,500 for comparable hours.
- The IBEC partnership is real pedagogical credibility. IBEC is the cultural wing of the Brazilian embassy's educational outreach, and the curriculum is built to their standards — not a university-hobby class.
- Zoom modality means you can take it from anywhere in Cuenca — or anywhere with decent internet. No commute, no parking, no rain-day excuses.
If you've been sitting on the fence about starting a third language, this is a cheap, structured entry point. Get the registration done early — the 12-person minimum means late registrants sometimes get bumped to the next cohort.
Source: El Mercurio
