The Chinese-Portuguese-English Machine Translation Laboratory (CPELab) of Macao Polytechnic University (MPU) developed Diz lá!, a language learning application especially aimed at Chinese language speakers who want to learn Portuguese anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace.
These are the app’s main features:
1. Word of the day: Learn a new Portuguese language word every day! The choice of words is especially conceived for learners who already have an intermediate level of Portuguese and wish to enrich their vocabulary. Each word is accompanied by its definition, a sample sentence, and a picture that helps to convey its meaning, as well as a recording allowing users to listen to its correct pronunciation. Users can also activate the Chinese translation (simplified or traditional).
2. Conjugator: This function is useful for Portuguese language learners of any level and native speakers alike. It allows users to know the conjugated form of over 15,000 Portuguese verbs in all tenses and modes. In addition, it’s also possible to listen to the pronunciation of every single conjugated verb for the 400 most frequently used Portuguese verbs (recordings made by native speakers).
3. Vocabulary: Users can access over 500 essential Portuguese words divided into theme groups. Each word is accompanied by a picture that helps to convey its meaning, as well as a recording allowing users to listen to the correct pronunciation. Users can also activate the Chinese translation (simplified or traditional).
4. Communication: Users will find over 1,000 useful phrases and sentences in numerous real-life situations. The phrases are thematically grouped, and users can listen to the sentences read by native Portuguese speakers. It is also possible to compare the sentences with the Chinese translation (simplified or traditional).
5. Video: Users can view a series of videos on the culture of Portuguese-speaking countries especially produced by Macao Polytechnic University’s language specialists’ team. In this section, you can learn some little-known facts about the Portuguese language and the people that speak it. You can also enjoy Portuguese countries’ poetry and the power of their cultural traditions.