About us
A small school you can finish with your coffee.
What the name means
- escola
- school
- bolacha
- a biscuit: in Portugal, the plain, everyday kind that comes with your coffee
Escola Bolacha is “biscuit school”. A bolacha is small, ordinary and part of the day, and that’s the idea: a few minutes of practice, often, like a coffee and a biscuit. Not a course you have to make time for.
That’s also why the icon is a little schoolhouse made of a biscuit.
It’s a word you’ll hear on both sides of the Atlantic. On your phone’s home screen it’s just Bolacha.
Why numbers, and why two Portuguese
Numbers are what you need first in a new country: prices, phone numbers, dates, the time of an appointment. They’re also what your ear struggles with longest, because they come fast and leave no room to guess from context.
European and Brazilian Portuguese sound quite different, and most language apps teach only one. Vowels are swallowed in one and open in the other, so “I know this number” and “I caught that number” are two different skills. Escola Bolacha trains the second one, in the voice you choose: European or Brazilian.
Who makes it
Made in Portugal for Portuguese learners. Designed by Brian Tam of Let’s Make Great!. A small group of learners have been using and shaping it since September 2026. Everything you see came from their feedback, and the in-app feedback button goes straight to Brian.
It’s free, has no ads and doesn’t ask for an account. Your progress is kept on your own device; only bonus-round scores go to the shared leaderboard.