A treinadora repete que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.

The trainer (female) repeats that slow breathing helps the whole body.

Breakdown of A treinadora repete que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.

• que: that
• todo: whole
• ajudar: to help
• repetir: to repeat
• lento: slow
• a treinadora: the trainer
• a respiração: the breathing
• o corpo: the body

Questions & Answers about A treinadora repete que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.

What does A treinadora tell me about gender, and can I also say O treinador?

Treinador/treinadora is a gendered noun:

• o treinador = the (male) coach/trainer
• a treinadora = the (female) coach/trainer

The definite article (o/a) and the noun ending (-or / -ora) both show gender.

If the person is a man, you’d say O treinador repete….
If it’s a woman, you say A treinadora repete….

Why is there no subject pronoun like Ela at the start? Could I say Ela, a treinadora, repete…?

Portuguese usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

• Repete is the 3rd person singular of repetir, so it already implies ele/ela (he/she/it).

You can add Ela for emphasis or contrast:

• Ela repete que… – She (as opposed to others) repeats that…

But in neutral sentences, leaving out Ela is more natural.
Adding both Ela and a treinadora together (Ela, a treinadora, repete…) would sound heavy unless you have a special reason (e.g. apposition in a more literary style).

What exactly is repete doing here? Why not something like está a repetir?

Repete is the simple present of repetir:

• (Ela) repete = she repeats / she keeps saying / she says again and again.

In European Portuguese, the simple present often covers what English uses both present simple and present continuous:

• A treinadora repete que…
  → can mean The coach repeats that… (habit)
  → or The coach is repeating that… (right now, in context)

Está a repetir is the true progressive form (is repeating right now), and you’d use it when you really want to highlight an ongoing action:

• A treinadora está a repetir que… – She is (right now) repeating that…

Here, the neutral, general statement is better with the simple present repete.

How is que working here? Is it like English that, and can it be omitted?

Yes, que here is a conjunction meaning that:

• A treinadora repete que…
  que introduces the content of what she repeats.

So the structure is:

• [Main clause] A treinadora repete
• [Subordinate clause] que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.

Unlike English, you cannot normally drop que in this type of sentence.
English: The coach repeats (that) slow breathing helps the whole body.
Portuguese: A treinadora repete que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.
❌ A treinadora repete a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo. (wrong)

Why do we say a respiração with the article a? In English we just say “slow breathing”.

In Portuguese, generic or abstract nouns often take a definite article, even when English doesn’t:

• A respiração é importante. – Breathing is important.
• A música é arte. – Music is art.

So:

• a respiração lenta literally = the slow breathing
  but it is understood generically as slow breathing in general.

Leaving out the article (respiração lenta ajuda…) is possible but sounds much less natural in this general, explanatory sentence. The default is a respiração lenta.

Why is it respiração lenta and not lento? How does agreement work here?

Portuguese adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun:

• respiração – feminine, singular
• So the adjective must also be: feminine, singular → lenta.

Examples:

• um exercício lento – a slow exercise (masc. sing.)
• uma respiração lenta – a slow breathing (fem. sing.)
• respirações lentas – slow breaths (fem. plural)

So lento would be wrong here because it is masculine.

Could I say lenta respiração instead of respiração lenta?

In practice, no: lenta respiração is grammatically possible but sounds very odd and poetic at best.

General rule in Portuguese:

• Default/neutral: noun + adjective
  
  • respiração lenta, carro novo, café quente.
• adjective + noun is used mainly for:
  • fixed expressions: boa noite, bom dia
  • emphasis, style, poetry, or when the adjective is more “classifying” than descriptive.

So in normal speech or writing, you want a respiração lenta, not a lenta respiração.

What does ajuda mean here, and what is its grammar pattern?

Ajuda is the 3rd person singular of ajudar = to help.

Basic pattern:

• ajudar + direct object
  
  • A respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.
    → Slow breathing helps the whole body.

You can also have:

• ajudar alguém a + infinitive
  
  • A respiração lenta ajuda o corpo a relaxar.
    → Slow breathing helps the body to relax.

In your sentence we only have the simple helps + object structure.

Why is it todo o corpo and not just todo corpo or todo corpo without the article?

Todo changes meaning depending on whether there is a definite article:

• todo o corpo = the whole body (100% of it)
• todo corpo (without article) = every body / each body (more distributive, less common in this context)

Your sentence wants the meaning the whole body, so it needs:

• todo o corpo, not todo corpo.

This pattern is very regular:

• todo o dia – the whole day
• toda a gente – everybody (fixed expression)
• todas as pessoas – all the people / every person

Is there a difference between todo o corpo and o corpo todo?

Both are grammatical and usually mean the same: the whole body.

• todo o corpo – a bit more neutral/“textbook”, often preferred in more formal or written language.
• o corpo todo – very common in spoken language, slightly more colloquial in feel.

In this kind of general statement, ajuda todo o corpo fits very well.
You could say:

• …ajuda todo o corpo.
• …ajuda o corpo todo.

No real change in meaning here.

Is respiração always “breathing”, or can it mean “breath” too?

Respiração mainly means:

• breathing (the process)
  
  • A respiração é essencial. – Breathing is essential.
• breath in a more medical/technical sense (not just a single puff of air).

For a single breath, Portuguese often uses:

• uma inspiração – an inhalation
• uma expiração – an exhalation
• colloquially, also um sopro (a blow/breath) in some contexts.

In your sentence, a respiração lenta is clearly slow breathing as a technique or pattern, not a single breath.

How do you pronounce treinadora, respiração and corpo in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (IPA-like):

• treinadora → /tɾɐj.nɐ.ˈðo.ɾɐ/

  • trei- like “tray” but shorter; -do- like “do” in “dough”, r is a tap.

• respiração → /ʁɨʃ.pi.ɾɐ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/

  • re- with a guttural r, -ção has a nasal ão similar to “own” but nasalised.

• corpo → /ˈkoɾ.pu/

  • co- like “co” in “copy”, r tapped, final o is close to u in “put”.

The stress is on:

• treinadora – do
• respiração – ção
• corpo – cor

Could the sentence be written with direct speech instead of que?

Yes. With que, it is reported/indirect speech:

• A treinadora repete que a respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.
  → The coach repeats that slow breathing helps the whole body.

With direct speech, you’d typically write:

• A treinadora repete: “A respiração lenta ajuda todo o corpo.”
  → The coach keeps repeating: “Slow breathing helps the whole body.”

Grammar changes:

• With que, the clause is integrated into the sentence.
• With : and quotation marks, you are quoting her exact words.