MEET THE CREATORS
Nestled in sun-kissed sun ☀️ Funchal, Madeira, PortuGate was born in early 2025 from a simple idea: learning European Portuguese should feel like an adventure, not an obligation.
We’re a two-gal team:
Katarzyna (Kasia), a linguist and Portuguese enthusiast, and Vanessa (Vany), a Madeira-raised language lover → united by curiosity, coffee ☕️, sushi, and countless verb charts.
Made by Learners, for Learners
We are not just creators; we are learners just like you. We know firsthand the challenges of mastering Portuguese, especially verb conjugation.
We have been in your shoes—which is why we wrote this book. We have crafted it to be your guide, not just a textbook.
Katarzyna ‘Kasia’ Javaheri-Szpak
“The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher.” – James Clear
My journey as an author began with a simple realization: teaching is one of the most powerful ways to learn. By creating this book, I didn’t just aim to share knowledge about the Portuguese language – I set out to deepen my own understanding alongside my readers.
Every verb, every example, every nuance I explored became part of a shared learning experience. I hope our book becomes not just a guide for you, but a space where we grow together: one sentence at a time.
I’m a linguist with previously published works in a different field: Persian language. I used to work as a language teacher, but for the past 8 years, I’ve been building my career as a Quality Assurance Engineer. Quality isn’t just my profession: it’s a value I deeply care about in everything I do.
I’m a passionate board game enthusiast and the organizer of board game meetups in Funchal, Madeira. Currently, I’m working with Vanessa on a unique approach to language learning: one that is natural, engaging, and stress-free, through the use of board games.
Languages I speak: 🇵🇱 🇬🇧 🇮🇷 🇵🇹
To learn more about my background, experience, and personal projects, feel free to explore the links below:
Vanessa ‘Vany’ Polovyanska
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein
My management background opened doors to the tech field, in which I started to socialize with people from different countries. After leaving that job, I kept the spirit up in mingling with people from other nationalities.
Languages are very fascinating to me, and I love researching by myself their impact on the way we communicate, express ourselves, and their effect on the development of our brains. Moreover, my spirituality and liking for numerology led me to informally research ancient languages – a topic that Katarzyna and I share a liking for.
When I helped Katarzyna with learning Portuguese, I couldn’t imagine that we would start writing a book not only to help her on her journey, but also to help other people.
My hope is that you, dear reader, find in our books a helpful friend in your Portuguese learning journey. Our next step with PortuGate is to make the learning process fun and intuitive with board games!
Languages I speak: 🇵🇹 🇬🇧 🇺🇦
See below my social media and let’s connect!
How We Craft Every Resource
What’s Coming Next
- Board-Game Method – strategy-style games for adults and young adults that transform table talk into fluent talk.
- Interactive Workbook Series – exercises that expand your vocabulary while training your ear for authentic Portuguese speech rhythms.
Stay tuned: beta testers call our prototypes “addictively educational.”
Join the Journey
- Browse the book → Shop now
- Get early access to games & workbooks → Coming soon
- Say olá → hello@portugate.pt
PortuGate isn’t just another language brand. It’s a welcoming archway to new friendships, seaside stories, and the thrill of making yourself understood in Europe’s westernmost tongue.
Step through the gate—Portuguese is waiting on the other side.
What We Believe
- Purposeful practice beats passive study. Every page, card, or game piece we design helps you use Portuguese, not just recognize it.
- Quality is non-negotiable. From meticulous human research to AI-assisted proofreading, every resource is triple-checked before it reaches your hands.
- Play fuels progress. Laughter raises retention, so our upcoming board games-based lessons and workbooks turn grammar drills into friendly challenges.
Our workflow
- Research & Rough Drafts – driven by linguistic theory and real student questions.
- AI-Enhanced Editing – smart tools flag inconsistencies; we keep the human voice.
- Field Testing in Funchal – local learners and expats test-drive each activity.
- Final Polish – only when it sings in both clarity and charm do we print it.
Our Flagship Book
“69 Key European Portuguese Verbs: Full Conjugations, Everyday Examples & Handy Tips” distills months of classroom frustration into one clear, concise reference.
- 69 high-frequency verbs fully conjugated across the tenses you’ll actually use (A1–B1+).
- Real-world sentences in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms—because language lives in context.
- Exception alerts & pro tips so quirks never catch you off-guard.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or polishing your Portuguese, this book is your pocket-sized tutor.
The book is available across all Amazon marketplaces.
🇵🇹 • 🇪🇸 • 🇬🇧 • 🇵🇱 • 🇺🇸 • 🇩🇪 • 🇫🇷 • 🇮🇹 • 🇸🇪 • 🇳🇱 • 🇯🇵 • 🇨🇦 • 🇦🇺
A very special thank you to Aga Victoria, our official photographer 📸,
whose talent and creative eye helped us capture the essence of PortuGate.
Your support and beautiful work mean the world to us!
This is a more expanded version of a quote we really love:
“The person who learns the most in any classroom is the teacher.
If you really want to learn a topic, then “teach” it. Write a book. Teach a class. Build a product. Start a company.
The act of making something will force you to learn more deeply than reading ever will.”
James Clear is a the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.