Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Se torceres demasiado o pé, podes ficar com o tornozelo torcido. - If you twist your foot too much, you can end up with a twisted ankle.

In European Portuguese, after se (“if”) talking about a real or possible future condition, you normally use the future subjunctive, not the present:

Se torceres o pé… = If you twist your foot (in the future)…
…podes ficar… = …you can end up…

So Se torceres… is the natural, correct structure here.

Why is it podes (present) and not something like poderias (“you could”)?

In Portuguese, it’s very normal to use:

se
- future subjunctive (torceres)
main clause in the present of the indicative (podes)

This gives a meaning like: If you (ever) twist your foot too much, you can end up with a sprained ankle.

You could say:

Se torceres demasiado o pé, poderás ficar com o tornozelo torcido.

This is grammatically fine but sounds more formal or written.

Poderias would sound more hypothetical or softer, like “you would/could (potentially)” but is less common in this kind of general warning sentence in everyday speech. The original sentence is the most natural conversational option.

What exactly does demasiado mean here? Is it the same as muito?

Demasiado means “too much / excessively / overly”, with a negative idea of excess.

torceres demasiado o pé = twist your foot too much / too hard

Muito usually means “a lot / very”, without necessarily being “too much”:

torcer muito o pé = twist your foot a lot / very badly
torcer demasiado o pé = twist your foot more than you should (excess, going beyond what’s safe/normal)

In practice, in many contexts, muito and demasiado can overlap, but demasiado always keeps that sense of too much.

Can demasiado go in another position, like Se torceres o pé demasiado?

Yes, that’s also possible:

Se torceres demasiado o pé, …
Se torceres o pé demasiado, …

Both are understood as “If you twist your foot too much…”.

Putting demasiado right after the verb (torceres demasiado o pé) is slightly more common and a bit clearer, but o pé demasiado is still natural and correct.

Why is it o pé and o tornozelo? Are these just “foot” and “ankle”?

Yes:

o pé = the foot
o tornozelo = the ankle

Both nouns are:

masculine singular
generally used with the definite article o in sentences like this.

Portuguese normally uses definite articles with body parts where English uses possessives:

torceres o pé = literally “twist the foot” → twist *your foot*
o tornozelo torcido = “the twisted ankle” → a sprained ankle / your ankle sprained

The “your” is implied by context and the fact that we’re talking about your own body.

What does podes ficar com o tornozelo torcido literally mean?

Literally:

podes = you can
ficar = become / end up / get
com = with
o tornozelo = the ankle
torcido = twisted

So: “you can end up with the ankle twisted”, i.e. you can end up with a sprained ankle.

The structure ficar com + [noun] + [past participle/adjective] is very common:

ficar com o braço partido = to end up with a broken arm
ficar com a perna magoada = to end up with a hurt leg

Why is it torcido and not torcida or something else?

Torcido agrees in gender and number with o tornozelo:

o tornozelo → masculine singular
torcido → masculine singular form of the past participle torcido / torcida / torcidos / torcidas

Other combinations:

a perna torcida (feminine singular: the leg twisted)
os tornozelos torcidos (masculine plural: the ankles twisted)
as pernas torcidas (feminine plural: the legs twisted)

So o tornozelo torcido is the correct agreement.

Why do we say torcer o pé but ficar com o tornozelo torcido? Why not torcer o tornozelo?

Both torcer o pé and torcer o tornozelo exist, but they’re used a bit differently:

torcer o pé = to twist the foot (often used in everyday speech for the action that leads to a sprain)
ficar com o tornozelo torcido = to end up with a sprained ankle (the resulting condition)

The original sentence contrasts:

The movement: torceres demasiado o pé (twist your foot too much)
The consequence: ficar com o tornozelo torcido (end up with your ankle sprained)

You could also say, for example:

Se torceres o tornozelo, podes ficar com o tornozelo torcido.

It’s correct, but it repeats tornozelo and sounds less natural as a general warning than the original version.

Is there a reflexive form here? Why isn’t it torceres-te or something similar?

No reflexive is needed here. In Portuguese:

torcer o pé (non‑reflexive) is the normal way to say to twist/sprain your foot.

A reflexive form like torceres-te would mean twist yourself, which doesn’t match the usual way of talking about spraining a body part. For most such injuries, Portuguese simply uses:

torcer o pé / o tornozelo
partir o braço
cortar o dedo

The “your” is implied by context, not by a reflexive pronoun.

What would the formal version (or a version not using tu) look like in European Portuguese?

A more formal or neutral version (for você or general instructions) could be:

Se torcer demasiado o pé, pode ficar com o tornozelo torcido.

Here:

torcer = future subjunctive of você (same form as the infinitive in this case)
pode = present indicative for você

In spoken European Portuguese, many people still prefer tu in informal contexts (as in the original sentence), and você can sound distant or even slightly impolite in some regions, depending on tone and context.

How is this sentence pronounced in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation (using a rough English-style guide):

Se → /sə/ (like “suh”)
torceres → /tuʁˈseɾɨʃ/
- tor- like “tohr” but with a guttural r
- final -es reduced, almost like “ish” /ɨʃ/
demasiado → /dɨmɐziˈadu/
- unstressed vowels often reduce to a kind of “uh” /ɨ, ɐ/
o → /u/ (like “oo”)
pé → /pɛ/ (open “eh”)
podes → /ˈpɔdɨʃ/
ficar → /fiˈkaɾ/ (“fee-KAR”, with guttural final r)
com → /kõ/ (nasal “on”)
o → /u/
tornozelo → /tuʁnuˈzelu/
torcido → /tuʁˈsidu/

Spoken naturally, many vowels reduce and syllables connect:

Se torceres demasiado o pé, podes ficar com o tornozelo torcido.
≈ sə tuʁˈseɾɨʃ dɨmɐziˈadu u pɛ, ˈpɔdɨʃ fiˈkaɾ kõ tuʁnuˈzelu tuʁˈsidu