In Conversation With...
Somesh Sharma
Portugal
So, can you tell me about yourself Somesh?
I was born in Kenya and lived there for 5 years but I don’t remember anything of that. Then we moved to England.
Where did you live in England?
First in Manchester, then in London.
When did you start studying at ELC?
I started in 2010.
3 years ago! And why did you start studying here?
That’s a strange story! We searched online for school, but in 2009, I only knew English so googled ‘Portuguese for Foreigners’. ELC was the only result because the other schools’ sites were only in Portuguese! But not I think ELC is great, very very good!
Ok! So, what do you like about studying here?
For us, for me, it’s Sofia. She’s really nice and it seems the other teachers are great too.
Great! And what do you like doing best in lessons?
At the moment I don’t need to write in Portuguese. I prefer to speak because I need it every day, in shops and restaurants.
What areas do you feel you have made most progress in?
I don’t know….speaking! General spoeaking wqith Portuguese people, ‘everyday Portuguese’. It’s still hard, especially understanding.
How do you think English will help you in the future?
I think some rules of Portuguese overlap with other languages such as Spanish and Italian. The 3 languages are very similar.
And when you travel to Spain and hear Spanish…..?
I understand more now!
What advice would you give to people who don’t know ELC?
I don’t know. To study, I think you need to be in a classroom because afterwards you can put what you have learned into practice. and speak to people from other places.
Many thanks Somesh!
Thank you!
Teacher: Sofia Brito
Interviewer: Kate Senior
