Zinho the toucan Brazilian Portuguese

Learn Portuguese by scrolling.

Real clips from Brazilian YouTube: football, memes, street interviews, carnival. Tap any word you don't know, see what it means right there, and keep it.

Coming soon on theApp Store iPhone first. Android later.
How it works

Scroll. Tap. Keep it.

😂 Memes · A2
Ele chegou atrasado de novo
e falou que tava no trânsito
and said he was stuck in traffic

Real Brazil

Short clips from Brazilian creators, at your level.

tava verb
was (spoken short form of estava)
🔊 Listen🧠 Explain

Tap any word

Meaning in context, slang explained.

Review · 12 due
GOT IT
trânsito
traffic
▶ Replay the clip
← AgainGot it →
312 words · A2

Never forget

Flashcards with the original clip.

Real Portuguese

Nobody in Brazil talks like your textbook.

TextbookEu estou com muita fome.
BrazilTô morrendo de fome, manoI'm starving, bro
TextbookVocê vai para a praia?
BrazilCê vai pra praia?You going to the beach?
TextbookNão sei.
BrazilSei lá, néNo idea, right
Why Zinho

I learned Portuguese from Brazilians, not from apps.

Photo: studying with an app or course
The problem

Courses and Duolingo gave me words. In Brazil, I still couldn't follow a real conversation.

Photo: Luca in Brazil
The shift

What worked was listening to real people: on the street, at the football, at the padaria.

Photo: Luca today
Zinho

Back in Germany, I built the app I wanted: real Brazil every day, with the words people actually use.

Luca, founder of Zinho

FAQ

Questions

Is this for beginners?

Yes. You pick your level when you start, and the feed mixes clips at your level with a few slightly above it. Every word can be tapped, and any clip can be explained in plain English.

Is it Brazilian or European Portuguese?

Brazilian. The clips come from Brazilian creators, with real accents from Rio to Bahia. The extra deck "Brazil vs. Portugal" shows the words the two say differently.

Where do the clips come from?

From public Brazilian YouTube videos, played with YouTube's own player. Every clip links back to the original video and the creator's channel.

How much does it cost?

Zinho is a subscription: $49.99 a year with a free first week, or $9.99 a month (prices in your currency are shown in the app). You can cancel any time in your Apple ID settings.

Does it work offline?

No. The clips stream from YouTube, so Zinho needs an internet connection.

Understand Brazilians. Not textbooks.

Coming soon to iPhone.