Getting started
Open EPiCC through your chosen platform, a saved shortcut on your desktop or Dock, or a pinned link in your assistant. Find the available options on Get EPiCC App.
In ChatGPT, you can also try typing @epicc in a new chat and selecting EPiCC before entering your prompt.
Start naturally
A single word, a complete question, or a few partial thoughts can be enough. EPiCC uses the context to infer what you need, including the translation direction. Add EP: or PE: if the result is not what you intended.
Commands are case-insensitive. Put a colon or a dash after the command, then add your topic or request.
Thinking effort
Use Medium or Standard where your platform offers these settings. Consider a higher setting for large passages. Extended thinking is not usually needed for everyday use.
Words and phrases
Enter a Portuguese word such as qual, embora, or saudade for meaning, pronunciation, usage, and an example. Enter an English word for its European Portuguese equivalent.
Build a phrase, collect vocabulary for a situation, or request a set of useful expressions.
- Ask how to make a reservation for four people.
- Request 25 supermarket words, 20 words for dealing with a plumber, or vocabulary for the pharmacy.
- Ask for 15 phrases for checking into a hotel.
Follow up with questions about meaning or gender. Move from a word such as ditongos to the difference between escritor and autor, then explore the Portuguese word for a mixologist.
Try asking
Give me the 20 most useful words for talking to a mechanic in Portugal. Include the gender, pronunciation, and one natural example for each.
Lessons and quizzes
Ask for a short lesson on grammar, vocabulary, usage, or pronunciation. A request such as TUTOR: restaurants brings together useful words, phrases, relevant grammar, pronunciation trouble spots, examples, and a short exercise.
- Explore ser versus estar, por versus para, or object pronouns.
- Learn the language you need to describe what you did yesterday.
- Ask for a five-minute beginner lesson.
- Practice 15 food words, one question at a time. Reverse the translation direction or increase the difficulty as you improve.
Try asking
I have five minutes. Teach me a beginner lesson about talking about yesterday, then give me three questions to answer.
Pronunciation and correction
Bring a difficult word or phrase. Ask EPiCC to explain tongue and lip position, break down a sound, or compare careful and natural pronunciation.
Submit a sentence for correction and ask whether someone in Portugal would naturally say it that way. If you keep confusing words such as ficar, estar, and ser, ask it to identify the misunderstanding and teach the distinction.
Practice pairs of words with contrasting sounds, such as open and closed e, or focus on Portuguese nasal vowels. Use AUDIO: for detailed pronunciation and an audio clip where supported.
Try asking
I wrote Amanhã vou ao médico. Is it correct, and would someone in Portugal naturally say it this way?
Conversation and listening practice
Rehearse ordering coffee, taking a taxi, making an appointment, returning a purchase, or asking a neighbor for help. Set the scene and your level, then ask for corrections in English after each answer.
Pretend you’re a waiter in Lisbon. Have a simple conversation with me in Portuguese.
Use HEAR: café to prepare for what a server might say back. EPiCC helps you compare careful pronunciation with natural speech so you can prepare for the reply as well as your own request.
Before a hair appointment, ask for 15 things you might hear and how they sound in natural Portuguese. For progressive practice, request five sentences to translate, starting easy and becoming harder, with answers withheld until you try.
Try asking
Pretend you are the receptionist at a hotel in Lisbon. Speak naturally, but keep the conversation suitable for a beginner. Correct me in English after each answer.
About the guidance
EPiCC targets contemporary European Portuguese centered on the Lisbon–Coimbra standard, while recognizing regional variation. Its pronunciation guidance draws on Camões IP, phonetic research, academic references, Infopédia, and Ciberdúvidas. Current evidence about a word takes priority when older examples conflict.
English sound approximations help you get started, but cannot reproduce every Portuguese sound.
More ways to use EPiCC
These examples are starting points. Use them as written, change the details, or describe what you need in your own words. Commands are optional, and your prompt does not need to be formal.
Build useful vocabulary
- Give me 15 phrases I should know when checking into a hotel in Portugal.
- Teach me the vocabulary I need at a pharmacy, including the questions I am likely to hear.
- How do I say that I would like to reserve a table for four? Give me a natural version, not just a literal translation.
- Give me the Portuguese I need to explain what I did yesterday.
Learn in short sessions
- Teach me the difference between ser and estar using practical examples.
- Explain when to use por and para, then give me a short exercise.
- Quiz me on 15 common food words, one question at a time. Do not show the answer until I respond.
- Give me a five-minute European Portuguese lesson suitable for my current level.
Improve accuracy and naturalness
- Correct this sentence and explain what I misunderstood.
- This sentence is grammatically correct, but would someone in Portugal say it this way?
- I keep confusing ficar, estar, and ser. Identify the pattern in my mistakes and teach me the distinction.
- Break down this word and explain the tongue and lip position for the difficult sounds.
Prepare for real conversations
- I am going to the hairdresser tomorrow. Give me 15 things I am likely to hear and show me how they sound in natural spoken Portuguese.
- Rehearse ordering coffee with me. Play the server and respond as someone in Portugal might respond.
- Give me five sentences to translate into Portuguese, starting easy and becoming harder. Wait for my answer each time.
- Train me to hear the difference between open and closed e using five pairs of Portuguese words.
- Help me practice Portuguese nasal vowels with short words first, then complete phrases.
- Role-play returning an item to a shop. Keep the conversation natural and correct my mistakes after each response.