Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta para não me esquecer. - I keep repeating the words out loud so I don’t forget.

Vou repetir = “I am going to repeat (later / in the future).”
Here vou (I go) + infinitive (repetir) forms a near-future construction.
Vou repetindo = “I keep repeating / I go on repeating / I repeat little by little (over time).”
Here vou
- gerund (repetindo) gives a sense of gradual, repeated, ongoing action.

So in the sentence Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta…, the idea is:

“I keep on repeating the words out loud…”
not
“I’m going to repeat the words out loud (later).”

What is the difference between vou repetindo, estou a repetir, and repito?

All can refer to repeating, but they have different nuances:

Vou repetindo as palavras…
- Aspect: ongoing, repeated / gradual action over a stretch of time.
- Comparable to English:
  - “I keep repeating the words…”
  - “I go on repeating the words…”
- Often suggests a strategy or habit.
Estou a repetir as palavras… (standard European Portuguese progressive)
- Aspect: right now, at this moment, continuous action.
- Comparable to English:
  - “I’m repeating the words (now).”
Repito as palavras… (simple present)
- Aspect: habitual or general statement.
- Comparable to English:
  - “I repeat the words (regularly / as a habit).”

In your sentence, vou repetindo highlights that you keep doing this repeatedly over time as a method to avoid forgetting.

I thought European Portuguese doesn’t really use the gerund. Why is repetindo used here?

It’s true that in European Portuguese:

The progressive “I am doing” is normally estar a + infinitive:
- Estou a repetir (EP)
  not usually estou repetindo.

But that doesn’t mean the gerund (-ndo forms like repetindo, falando) is never used. In EP, the gerund is common in these kinds of meanings:

Action in progress + another action:
- Saiu correndo. – “He went out running.”
Gradual / step‑by‑step evolution:
- Fui aprendendo. – “I gradually learned / I learned bit by bit.”

Your sentence Vou repetindo as palavras… uses ir + gerúndio to show:

an action that unfolds gradually or is repeated over time, not just a single moment.

So the gerund is natural and idiomatic here in European Portuguese.

Could we say Vou repetir as palavras em voz alta instead of Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta?

Yes, but the meaning changes:

Vou repetir as palavras em voz alta.
= “I’m going to repeat the words out loud.”
Focus: one future action (or a small number of actions), intention.
Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta.
= “I keep repeating the words out loud.”
Focus: ongoing, repeated strategy, as you study or walk, for example.

The original sentence describes a technique you’re using over time, not just a single future repetition.

Why is it para não me esquecer and not just para não esquecer?

Both exist, but in European Portuguese:

Esquecer-se (reflexive: esquecer-me, esquecer-te, esquecer-se, etc.) is very common in the sense of “to forget (something)”.
Esquecer without the reflexive pronoun is also possible, but is:
- more frequent in formal language, or
- more usual in Brazilian Portuguese for everyday speech.

In European Portuguese, saying:

para não me esquecer
is the natural, everyday way to say
“so that I don’t forget (them / it).”

You can say para não esquecer, but in EP it can sound a bit more formal or incomplete unless you specify the object:

para não esquecer as palavras. – “so as not to forget the words.”

Where does the me go? Is para não esquecer-me also correct?

Yes, both are grammatically possible in European Portuguese:

para não me esquecer
- Clitic pronoun (me) before the infinitive.
- This is the most natural, everyday option in modern EP.
para não esquecer-me
- Clitic pronoun attached to the infinitive (esquecer-me).
- Correct but sounds more formal / literary, and is less common in speech today.

So in normal conversation and most writing in Portugal, para não me esquecer is preferred.

Shouldn’t it be para não me esquecer das palavras? Is it wrong to omit das palavras?

You’re right that esquecer-se de often takes de plus the thing forgotten:

Esqueci-me das palavras. – “I forgot the words.”
Não me quero esquecer deste dia. – “I don’t want to forget this day.”

In your sentence, the direct object (the words) is already mentioned earlier:

Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta para não me esquecer.

So não me esquecer is understood as:

“not forget (them)” = the words already mentioned.

Adding das palavras is possible and explicit:

Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta para não me esquecer das palavras.

But it sounds a bit repetitive, because as palavras already appear right before. Native speakers are happy to omit it when context makes the object clear.

What does em voz alta literally mean, and can I just say alto instead?

Em voz alta literally means:

“in a loud voice”
and corresponds to English “out loud / aloud.”

Examples:

Lê o texto em voz alta. – “Read the text out loud.”
Falo em voz alta para praticar. – “I speak out loud to practise.”

About alto:

alto on its own usually means “high” or “loud” (adjective/adverb).
You can say things like:
- Fala alto. – “He speaks loudly.”
But “repeat the words out loud” is much more naturally:
- repetir as palavras em voz alta,
  not repetir as palavras alto.

So in your sentence, em voz alta is the standard idiomatic expression.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Vou repetindo em voz alta as palavras…?

Yes, there is some flexibility.

Original:
- Vou repetindo as palavras em voz alta…
  This is the most neutral and common order:
  - verb + direct object (as palavras) + adverbial phrase (em voz alta).
Alternative:
- Vou repetindo em voz alta as palavras…
  This is also grammatically correct.
  It slightly highlights the “out loud” part by bringing em voz alta closer to the verb.

Both orders are acceptable. Native speakers will more often say it like the original, but changing the order here does not sound wrong.

Could I say para não as esquecer instead of para não me esquecer?

Yes:

para não as esquecer = “so as not to forget them.”

Here:

as is a direct object clitic pronoun referring to as palavras.
esquecer is used without the reflexive pronoun.

So you have two main options:

Reflexive (very common in EP):
- para não me esquecer (das palavras).
  Literally: “so as not to forget myself (of the words)” → idiomatically, “so I don’t forget (them).”
Non‑reflexive with direct object pronoun:
- para não as esquecer. – “so as not to forget them.”

Both are correct and natural; the original chooses the reflexive pattern, which is extremely frequent in everyday European Portuguese.