Fale em um tom calmo.

to speak

Breakdown of Fale em um tom calmo.

• um: a
• em: in
• calmo: calm

Questions & Answers about Fale em um tom calmo.

Why is it fale and not fala?

Because fale is the imperative form used with você (and also o senhor / a senhora).

• falar = to speak
• fale = speak / speak in this way

In Brazilian Portuguese, affirmative commands for você use the same form as the present subjunctive:

• que você fale
• fale!

So Fale em um tom calmo is a command or instruction meaning Speak in a calm tone.

If you were using tu, the form would usually be fala:

• Fala em um tom calmo.

But in Brazil, usage with tu varies a lot by region, so fale is a very safe form to learn.

Does fale mean this is formal?

Not necessarily.

It matches você, which is very common in Brazil and is often neutral, not especially formal. It can also match o senhor / a senhora, which is more formal.

So the sentence feels more like:

• a neutral instruction
• a polite but direct request
• something you might see in a prompt, script, classroom, or customer-service context

If you want to make it softer, you could say:

• Por favor, fale em um tom calmo.
• Pode falar em um tom calmo?

Why is there no subject pronoun like você in the sentence?