Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Na reunião, o meu microfone falhou e tive de o silenciar e voltar a ligá‑lo. - In the meeting, my microphone failed and I had to mute it and turn it back on.

Na is the contraction of em + a and means “in/at the.” So Na reunião = “In the meeting/At the meeting.”
À reunião (contraction of a + a) would mean “to the meeting” (direction), not “in the meeting.”

Why is there an article before the possessive in o meu microfone?

In European Portuguese, it’s normal to use the definite article with possessives: o meu microfone (“my microphone”).
Meu microfone without the article is possible but sounds marked/poetic; it’s much more common in Brazilian Portuguese in everyday speech.

Why is the pronoun o used later—what does it refer to?

Microfone is masculine singular, so the direct‑object clitic is o (“it”).
That’s why you see de o silenciar and ligá‑lo (“mute it,” “turn it back on”).
If the noun were feminine (e.g., a câmara “the camera”), you’d use a / ‑la: ligá‑la.

What does falhou mean here, and is it different from falou?

Falhou is the 3rd‑person preterite of falhar, meaning “failed/glitched.” Devices often falham briefly.
Falou (without the h) is from falar and means “spoke.” They are different words and sounds.
Alternatives: avariou‑se (broke down), deixou de funcionar (stopped working, often momentarily).

Why is it tive de and not tive que?

Both exist. In Portugal, ter de is more common and considered more standard: tive de = “I had to.”
Ter que is also heard and acceptable, but ter de is the safer default in European Portuguese.
Tense note: tive de = one completed occasion; tinha de = “I used to have to / I was having to.”

Why is it de o and not do before silenciar?

Do is the contraction of de + o when o is the article. Here o is a clitic pronoun (“it”), not an article, so there’s no contraction.
Hence de o silenciar, not do silenciar. (Contrast: do silêncio = “of the silence,” where o is an article.)

Could I say tive de silenciá‑lo instead of tive de o silenciar?

Yes. With an infinitive, both placements are correct in European Portuguese:
- Proclisis: tive de o silenciar
- Enclisis to the infinitive: tive de silenciá‑lo
Many speakers find the enclitic version smoother in speech; the proclitic version is also very common and perfectly correct.

Why does o become ‑lo in ligá‑lo?

When attaching the 3rd‑person clitics o/a/os/as after a verb that ends in ‑r, ‑s, or ‑z, those final letters drop and the clitic gains an initial l:
- ligar + o → ligá‑lo
- fazer + a → fazê‑la
- traz + os → trá‑los (spoken; in writing usually from trazer → trazê‑los)
After verbs ending in a nasal sound (e.g., ‑m), you’ll see ‑no/‑na/‑nos/‑nas: têm‑no, põem‑na.

Why is there an accent in ligá‑lo (and in silenciá‑lo, fazê‑lo, pô‑lo)?

When a pronoun is attached, the verb’s stress can shift or become unclear. The accent keeps the original stress:
- ligar → ligá‑lo
- fazer → fazê‑lo
- pôr → pô‑lo
Think of the accent as preserving the verb’s normal pronunciation after adding the clitic.

What does voltar a mean here?

Voltar a + infinitive means “to do again.” So voltar a ligá‑lo = “turn it on again.”
Alternatives: ligá‑lo de novo, ligá‑lo novamente.
Note it is the preposition a (no article), so no contraction (à) here.

Do I have to repeat the object pronoun with both verbs?

Each transitive verb needs its object expressed:
- tive de o silenciar e voltar a ligá‑lo is natural.
If you drop the second pronoun (voltar a ligar), it can sound incomplete or even ambiguous (since ligar can mean “to call” someone). Keeping ‑lo avoids ambiguity.

Does ligar mean “turn on,” “unmute,” or “call”?

Ligar is polysemous:
- With devices: “to turn on/switch on.”
- In meeting apps: often “to unmute” (and desligar = mute).
- With phones: “to call.”
In this sentence, ligá‑lo clearly means “turn the microphone back on/unmute it,” because ‑lo refers to o microfone.

Why not use lhe instead of o?

Lhe is an indirect‑object clitic (“to him/her/you”).
Here we need a direct object (“mute it / turn it on”), so we use o (masc. singular). For a feminine object, a; plurals os/as.

Could the pronoun attach to tive (e.g., Tive‑o de silenciar)?

No. The pronoun must attach to (or stand with) the verb that governs it. The object here is of silenciar/ligar, not of ter.
Hence: tive de o silenciar / tive de silenciá‑lo, not tive‑o de silenciar.

Is silenciar the best verb for a microphone? What about desligar or mutar?

For meeting controls in Portugal:
- silenciar (o microfone) or desligar o microfone = mute.
- ligar o microfone = unmute/turn on the mic.
Mutar/desmutar are informal anglicisms; understood but less formal.
Desligar can also mean power off, so context (meeting UI vs hardware) matters.

Could I say Durante a reunião instead of Na reunião?

Yes. Durante a reunião = “During the meeting,” focusing on the time span.
Na reunião = “In/At the meeting,” focusing on the event setting. Both work here; the nuance is slight.

Any pronunciation traps in this sentence?

lh in falhou is the palatal “ly” sound (similar to Italian gli): fa‑LYO.
falhou ≠ falou (“spoke”): the former has lh, the latter doesn’t.
‑ão in reunião is nasal (roughly “ow̃”).
Final ‑e in microfone is typically reduced/very light in European Portuguese.