Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Liga-te à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca, que é mais estável. - Connect to the library’s Wi‑Fi network, which is more stable.

The verb is ligar-se a = to connect (oneself) to.
te is the reflexive pronoun for informal singular you (tu).
In affirmative commands in European Portuguese, the pronoun goes after the verb and is joined with a hyphen (enclisis): Liga-te.
Without the pronoun, ligar often means “to switch on”: Liga a luz = Turn on the light. With -te, it means “connect (yourself).”

How would I say this politely/formally or to more than one person?

Formal to one person (você / o senhor, a senhora): Ligue-se à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca, que é mais estável.
To more than one person (vocês): Liguem-se à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca, que é mais estável.

Why is it à rede and not just a rede or na rede?

ligar-se a takes the preposition a.
rede is feminine and usually definite here, so you need the article a (“the”).
Preposition a
- article a fuse into à (with a grave accent): à rede.
na rede = “in/on the network,” not “to the network,” so it’s wrong for “connect to.”

Could I drop rede and just say Liga-te ao Wi‑Fi da biblioteca?

Yes. If you use Wi‑Fi as the noun, it’s typically masculine in Portugal, so:

Liga-te ao Wi‑Fi da biblioteca … (a + o = ao) If you keep rede, you keep it feminine:
Liga-te à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca …

What does da in da biblioteca mean?

da = de + a (“of/from” + “the” feminine).
So da biblioteca = “of the library” (i.e., the library’s network). Compare:

Why is there a comma before que? Is que “which” or “because” here?

With the comma, que can introduce a non-restrictive clause: “…, which is more stable.”
In European Portuguese, que after a comma can also be colloquial for “because/as”: “…, because it’s more stable.”
If you want to be crystal clear about reason, you can use porque: Liga-te …, porque é mais estável.
If you remove the comma, it would read as a restrictive relative clause (less natural here): “the library Wi‑Fi network that is more stable.”

Why é and not está in que é mais estável?

ser (é) describes a general or characteristic property: “which is (in general) more stable.”
estar would suggest a temporary state: … porque está mais estável hoje (“… because it’s more stable today”).

Is mais estável the normal way to say “more stable”? Could I say melhor?

mais + adjective is the regular comparative: mais estável = “more stable.”
melhor = “better” (broader). It’s fine in context, but mais estável is more precise when you specifically mean “stable.”

Can I use another verb like conectar(-se) instead of ligar(-se)?

In Portugal, ligar-se a is the most idiomatic everyday choice for networks.
conectar-se a / conectar a (also spelled conetar by some) is understood and common in tech contexts; it just sounds a bit more technical or influenced by international usage.
Natural options:
- Liga-te à rede Wi‑Fi…
- Conecta-te à rede Wi‑Fi… (perfectly intelligible)

How do I say the negative: “Don’t connect to the library Wi‑Fi”?

Informal (tu): Não te ligues à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca.
Formal (você): Não se ligue à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca.
Plural (vocês): Não se liguem à rede Wi‑Fi da biblioteca. Note the pronoun moves before the verb in the negative.

Can I move the pronoun somewhere else, like in sentences with another verb (can, should, etc.)?

Yes. With a modal or auxiliary, in European Portuguese the pronoun usually attaches to the infinitive:

Podes ligar-te à rede Wi‑Fi… (You can connect…) Avoid Brazilian-style Podes te ligar in Portugal; Podes ligar-te is the natural choice.

What’s the gender of Wi‑Fi and rede?

rede is feminine: a rede, à rede.
Wi‑Fi is typically treated as masculine when it’s the head noun: o Wi‑Fi, ao Wi‑Fi.
When Wi‑Fi is just an adjective/modifier after rede (rede Wi‑Fi), the gender is set by rede (feminine).

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

Liga-te: LEE-gɐ-tɨ (the final e in te is a quick, reduced sound).
à: just like a (the accent marks the contraction, not a different sound).
rede: the initial r is the strong Portuguese r (like French/German r); final e is reduced.
Wi‑Fi: “wee-fy.”
que: roughly “kɨ” (short, reduced vowel).
é: open “eh.”
estável: stress on -tá-: e-SHTAH-vel.
Tip: final -s in mais often sounds like “sh” in Portugal; before a vowel it can sound like “z” (so you may hear something like “mai(z) estável”).