Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): No consultório, a médica pediu para desligar o aparelho. - At the doctor’s office, the doctor asked to turn off the device.

It means “In the consulting room/doctor’s office.” The word no is the contraction of em + o (“in + the”), and consultório is the place where a doctor sees patients. Related forms you’ll see:

na = em + a (“in the,” feminine)
num/numa = em + um/uma (“in a”)

Is the comma after “No consultório” required?

No. A comma after a short fronted phrase like this is optional. Both are fine:

No consultório, a médica pediu…
No consultório a médica pediu…

Why is it “a médica” and not “o médico”?

Because the doctor referred to is female. Portuguese nouns for many professions are gendered: o médico (male), a médica (female). The definite article (o/a) agrees with the noun’s gender.

Why use the definite article before a profession here?

Because we’re talking about a specific doctor in this context. Contrast:

A médica pediu… = The (specific) doctor asked…
Ela é médica. = She is a doctor. (No article after “ser” when stating someone’s profession.)

Could I say “a doutora” instead of “a médica” in Portugal?

Yes. In Portugal, o doutor/a doutora is a very common polite form of address for doctors (and some other professionals). So you’ll hear both a médica and a doutora referring to the female doctor, depending on tone/formality.

What does the structure “pediu para + infinitive” mean? Could I also use “pediu que…”?

Pedir para + infinitive means “to ask (someone) to do something”:
Ex.: A médica pediu para desligar o aparelho. = The doctor asked (someone) to turn off the device.
Pedir que + subjunctive is another standard way:
Ex.: A médica pediu que eu desligasse o aparelho. = The doctor asked that I turn off the device.

In European Portuguese, both are common. The “que + subjunctive” version is often a bit more formal/explicit about the subject (“eu desligasse”).

Who is supposed to turn off the device? The sentence feels ambiguous.

As written, it’s context-dependent. In practice it usually means the doctor asked the interlocutor (the patient) to do it. To make it explicit:

A médica pediu-me para desligar o aparelho. (asked me)
A médica pediu-lhe para desligar o aparelho. (asked him/her)
A médica pediu ao paciente para desligar o aparelho. (asked the patient)
A médica pediu que ele desligasse o aparelho. (asked that he turn it off)

Where do pronouns like “me/lhe” go with “pedir” in European Portuguese?

Default placement is after the verb (enclisis) in main clauses:

A médica pediu-lhe para desligar o aparelho.

They go before the verb (proclisis) when triggered by certain words (e.g., negation, “que”, “se”, etc.):

A médica não lhe pediu para desligar o aparelho.
Ela disse que lhe pediu para desligar o aparelho.

Is “para” necessary here? Could I say “A médica pediu desligar o aparelho”?

You need para. The natural pattern is pedir para + infinitive when you’re asking someone to do something:

Correct: A médica pediu para desligar o aparelho.
Not natural: A médica pediu desligar o aparelho. (sounds wrong/foreign)

Why “desligar” and not “apagar”?

Desligar is the standard verb for turning a device off (powering down).
Apagar is typical for lights, candles, a fire, or erasing/deleting. People may say “apagar o telemóvel,” and it will be understood, but desligar o telemóvel is the safest, most standard choice.

What does “aparelho” refer to here?

Literally “device/apparatus.” In a medical context it could be any device (monitor, hearing aid, phone, etc.). In everyday talk, especially with “desligar,” it often implies a phone, though in Portugal people also say telemóvel explicitly. Context clarifies:

desligar o telemóvel (phone)
desligar o aparelho auditivo (hearing aid)
desligar o aparelho (a device in the room)

Why is it “o aparelho” (the device) and not “um aparelho” (a device)?

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English might not. Here it likely refers to a specific device understood from context (e.g., your phone). Signs and instructions also use the definite article generically: Desligue o telemóvel (“Turn off your phone” in general).

Can I use the personal infinitive to show who should act, like “para desligares”?

Yes. With para + personal infinitive, you can make the subject explicit:

A médica pediu para tu desligares o aparelho. (you, singular)
A médica pediu para vocês desligarem o aparelho. (you, plural)
A médica pediu para nós desligarmos o aparelho. (we) Note that with “eu,” the form looks like the plain infinitive: para eu desligar.

How would Brazilians typically say this?

The core is the same. You’ll often hear:

No consultório, a médica pediu pra desligar o aparelho. (colloquial “pra”)
… a médica pediu para você desligar o celular. (using “você” and “celular” instead of “telemóvel”)
… a médica pediu que eu desligasse o celular. (subjunctive option)

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits?

médica: stress on the first syllable; open “é” like “meh-.”
desligar: the “s” before “l” is voiced like the “s” in “measure” ([ʒ]); roughly “dezh-lee-GAR.”
aparelho: the “lh” is a palatal “ly” sound; roughly “ah-pah-RE-lyu.”
consultório: stress on “-tó-” (con-sul-TÓ-ri-o).