This article presents some thoughts on the use of methods of assessing Portuguese for foreigners. It departs from a review of the context of teaching Portuguese for foreigners in Brazil, and a bibliographic examination on the subject of assessment in the area to cover the description of three personal experiences that took place in the city of Florianópolis. In this study I analyze how different assessment methods are used according to different teaching situations. These teaching experiences correspond, respectively, to the context of a) free courses b) a university exchange program and c) an elementary school. The assessment of Portuguese as a foreign language is a broad and delicate topic; it starts even before the first contact between teachers and students, and may escape precise quantification. Nonetheless, improvements in the area can occur through conscious and dialogued practices, which would ultimately result in a better mastery of the work - on the part of the teachers - and of the language - on the part of the students.