I never needed to buy grammar books, enroll in formal language courses or anything like that. I just used the language and followed the philosophy "fake it until you make it". Most of the time in the beginning I began to read and listen stuff in English using automatic translators, dictionary look-ups and all other resources you can find at a google away of distance. The most structure I had was with Duolingo, I never needed much structure to be able to learn it well. Just use it, have the mentality to improve yourself (I'm a grammar nazi sometimes) and the eager to understand the stuff you care about in English.
I'm doing the same with German, however, it has been many years since I fully immersed myself into English content that it's being tough on me to let go of so many things I like to do online with it.
Almost everything online is much better in English than in Portuguese, I find that English speakers are much more learned and compassionate than Portuguese speakers in general.
I just can't handle anymore the little thought bubble that most Brazilians are in -- just as all speakers of only one language are generally in -- "Brasil é o pior pais do mundo"["Brazil is the worst country in the world"], "Só br se fode"["Brazilians only get fucked over and over again"].
Once when I was discussing in English once about spiritual Enlightenment (ego death), in YouTube, which isn't the best place for having Quora style talk, anyhow, when the guy noticed I was Brazilian, he just changed from logical arguments to "Você é Br, por isso acredita em golpe hahah"["You are Brazilian, that's why you fall prey easily for scams hahah"]. That's just an anecdotal evidence for something very common, for him, knowing I was Brazilian just made him get back to the ol' good Brazilian way of life — Which I want to stay away from as much as possible.
That made want to burn a Brazilian flag in a public space for everyone to see it, while I await my Brazilian citizenship renouncement letter being signed by the president. (Just kidding, Haha! — Just for the record: I'm not a nationalist or anti-nationalist in any way of any country. I'm Human in the first place.)
Well, you know most of the internet content is in English, it's the Lingua Franca of the world, but of course, there are several other regional languages like that, Standard German (Hochdeutsch) in german speaking countries, Taglog in the Phillipines, Mandarin in China, Tokyo Japonese in Japan and so on.
Picture centuries from now; human colonies in space with everyone speaking English alongside their heritage language (Russian, Portuguese, Chinese etc), we shouldn't let our family language die off, because there is a big loss in cultural baggage when a language dies, both for the speaker and for humanity as a whole.
However, that's not really the case with me, there wasn't a day in my life that I didn't speak Portuguese...
...But ONLY BECAUSE I'm living in Brazil with Brazilians all around me. I don't feel like using it. Only a necessity.
I'd miss Portuguese a little bit after a while without speaking it, but It wouldn't make me forget the importance of it, as my mother language, and Brazil as the culture in which my upbringing took place.
So, I'd rather only write in English unless it's something related to Lusophones or speaking with my future kids to pass it on as a heritage.
Thanks for your suggestions, I didn't know languagetool.org
Legal cara, valeu!