Gisele Losso, Portuguese Classes

I studied under Gisele a while back and I’m so happy I did!
Awesome instructor and VERY patient.
Always smiling and positive :)

I’ve been taking private lessons from Gisele for the past 3 years, and I can attest to the fact that she is a wonderful, enthusiastic teacher who can easily create a curriculum that accommodates individual needs. In my case I got into my Portuguese studies with a Spanish language background, and she was able to create a program that addressed those particular circumstances (i.e., she’s been very good about correcting my urge to launch into Portuñol!). It’s hard to find a teacher who is as gifted, patient and passionate. For someone like me who is not only an introvert but also a perfectionist (a lethal combo for language learning), it’s been wonderful to work with an instructor who knows how to correct you just enough for you to learn and progress, but doesn’t interrupt you every five seconds to nitpick and make you completely lose your confidence. I’m sure it would have taken me a lot longer to reach my current level of Portuguese without her instruction.

By the time I began taking Portuguese lessons with Gisele, I thought there was no way I would be able to learn a second language this late in life. I initially only wanted to learn a few phrases and words to get me through my first weeklong trip to Rio de Janeiro. But Gisele’s accessible, relatable teaching style and her passion for language had me interested in becoming fluent before I ever set foot in Rio, and so I continued taking lessons with her for almost three years.
I felt I made faster progress with Gisele than in any previous attempts at learning new languages, because of how early on she engages her students in conversation and teaches you to use what you know practically from the very start. So even before you have an extensive vocabulary or a knowledge of verb tenses, you’re able to communicate at least a little almost immediately. Her classes also immerse you in the culture of Brazil, which is essential for understanding the subtleties of the language, like figures of speech or slang.
By my second visit to Brazil last year, I was able to communicate effectively without any English, and even surprised a few people when they found out I was, in fact, a gringa. My explanation was simply that I had the best possible Portuguese teacher! I would recommend her to anyone traveling to Brazil, dating/​married to a Brazilian, or just interested to learn a beautiful new language.

Gisele is truly a top notch Brazilian Portuguese teacher. I have taken private classes from a few different teachers before Gisele and she is the most focused and detailed teacher yet. Not only that, but she has driven over an hour each way to teach me for more than a year now, once a week. I’ve been to Brazil 4 times in the past 2.5 years and I think I’m getting pretty good at Portuguese but Gisele does not let me kid myself. She doesn’t allow me to get away with mispronunciation or misspelling or just using the wrong words and trying to play it off like it doesn’t matter. I like that the details do matter to Gisele and she cares about my time and progress. For example, one time, after 3 or 4 weeks in a row of not doing my homework, she literally got a bit agitated with me and asked why I was paying for private lessons if I was not going to do the work she asked of me. A good friend should shoot straight with you and so should a good language teacher. At least I could do some work outside of class, she said, in order to progress and not waste my own time and money (only about 10 – 15 min of homework). Gisele is a graduate university level Portuguese teacher but she has demonstrated immense levels of dedication and patience with me from my very beginning level to my current intermediate conversational level. So, no matter where you are in your Portuguese journey, if you want to get to that next level and you need help, Gisele is the teacher for you. And, if you live anywhere near L.A., she will drive through hours of traffic to teach you each week (just kidding, she will get me for saying that). But, she will make the effort to meet you half way if you are in the Los Angeles area. She is super cool and well traveled I might add.

Gisele is great! I’ve been taking lessons with her at an intermediate level for 10 months, and having two hours of conversation practice every week has really improved my listening and speaking skills. The classes are varied and we usually spend time conversing, working out of a textbook, and doing other things like reading magazine articles or discussing a Brazilian film.
Gisele has been teaching for several years and understands the grammar of the language very well (something I now realize is important, because not everyone who speaks the language knows how to teach it). But she also brings in a lot of colloquial expressions and idioms, which is important because spoken Brazilian Portuguese is quite different from the formal written language, and while a textbook can teach you how to write like a Brazilian, only a Brazilian can teach you how to speak like one. Plus she’s from Florianopolis so she’s pretty easy to understand :-)
I wasn’t sure at first if group lessons would be for me, but the group sizes have been small (2 – 3 people), I’ve learned a lot from my classmates, and the conversation is more enjoyable with other people to talk to, especially since we occasionally meet at a coffeeshop. Definitely a great way to learn Portuguese.

I have been learning Portuguese with Gisele for over a year. I enjoy her classes because she is very friendly and patient. It makes a fun class. I went to Brazil last month and I was finally able to communicate better. It makes such a difference!