O manual explica como ligar a televisão sem usar o controle remoto.

Ligar has several common meanings in Portuguese, and context tells you which one is intended.

In this sentence, ligar a televisão means to turn on the television.

Other common meanings of ligar include:

• to call / phone someone
  
  • Vou ligar para ela. = I’m going to call her.
• to connect
  
  • Ligar o computador à internet. = To connect the computer to the internet.

So when the object is an appliance or device, ligar often means turn on.

Both are possible, but they work a little differently.

• como ligar a televisão = how to turn on the television
• como se liga a televisão = how one turns on the television / how to turn on the television

In manuals and instructions, Portuguese very often uses como + infinitive because it sounds concise and natural for procedural language.

So:

• O manual explica como ligar a televisão...
  is a very normal way to say
• The manual explains how to turn on the television...

Using como se liga is also grammatical, but it feels a bit more like describing the process as a general action rather than labeling it as an instruction.

No. Here a is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

So:

• a televisão = the television

It does not mean to in this sentence.

Why feminine? Because televisão is a feminine noun:

• a televisão
• uma televisão

This a is the direct-object article after ligar:

• ligar a televisão = turn on the television

After sem, Portuguese normally uses the infinitive to mean without doing something.

So:

• sem usar o controle remoto = without using the remote control

This is the standard pattern:

• sem falar = without speaking
• sem comer = without eating
• sem pensar = without thinking

So sem + infinitive is the structure you want here.

Because ligar and usar are infinitives here, and infinitives often do not need an explicit subject.

In English, we also do this:

• how to turn on the TV
• without using the remote control

Portuguese works similarly:

• como ligar a televisão
• sem usar o controle remoto

The implied subject is general, something like someone / you / the user.

Controle remoto means remote control.

Portuguese usually puts many adjectives after the noun, so:

• controle = control
• remoto = remote

Literally, it is something like control remote, but natural English translation is remote control.

This noun + adjective order is very common in Portuguese:

• carro vermelho = red car
• casa grande = big house
• controle remoto = remote control

Yes. In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, TV is extremely common.

So these are all possible:

• ligar a televisão
• ligar a TV
• ligar o televisor

They are slightly different in style:

• televisão = standard, neutral
• TV = very common in speech and writing
• televisor = more technical or formal-sounding

In a manual, televisão sounds perfectly natural.

Because Portuguese, like English, often uses the simple present for general statements, descriptions, and instructions.

• O manual explica... = The manual explains...

This sounds natural because a manual is understood as something that contains explanations in general.

Using está explicando would suggest an action in progress right now, which sounds less natural for a manual.

So for definitions, instructions, and general truths, the simple present is usually the right choice.

In normal usage, ligar a televisão usually means turn on the TV.

If you want to say plug in the TV, Portuguese would more likely use something more specific, such as:

• ligar a televisão na tomada = plug the television into the outlet
• conectar a televisão à tomada = connect the television to the outlet

So in your sentence, the natural interpretation is definitely turn on the television.

The accent in televisão is part of the correct spelling and helps show the stressed syllable.

• te-le-vi-SÃO

The ending -ão is very common in Portuguese and is pronounced with a nasal sound. It often corresponds to English endings like -ion in some words, though the pronunciation is quite different.

Other examples with -ão:

• informação
• situação
• decisão

So the accent helps indicate the stressed final syllable and is not optional.

It is neutral and very natural, especially for written instructions.

A manual would commonly use exactly this kind of wording:

• clear
• direct
• impersonal
• instructional

It does not sound overly formal, but it does sound more like written standard Portuguese than casual conversation.

In casual speech, someone might say:

• O manual mostra como ligar a TV sem usar o controle.

That is a bit more conversational, but the original sentence is perfectly normal and appropriate.