Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião. - I leave the cellphone on vibrate during the meeting.

In European Portuguese, it’s very common to use the (definite article) instead of my/your for personal objects when it’s clear whose they are.

Eu deixo o telemóvel…
Literally: I leave the mobile phone…
Natural meaning: I leave *my phone…*

Because the subject is eu (I), listeners automatically understand that o telemóvel is my phone. You can say o meu telemóvel, but in everyday speech it often sounds a bit heavier or more emphatic than needed.

Both are correct:

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório… (most natural, neutral)
Eu deixo o meu telemóvel em modo vibratório… (more explicit/emphatic that it’s mine)

What exactly does deixo mean here? Is it “leave,” “keep,” or something else?

Deixo is the 1st person singular of deixar (to leave, to let). In this sentence, it has the idea of “keep / leave in a certain state”, not physically leaving it behind somewhere.

deixar algo em modo vibratório
= to leave / keep something on vibrate

So Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório is close to:

I keep my phone on vibrate
I leave my phone on vibrate

You could also express a similar idea with other verbs, but they sound a bit different:

Eu ponho o telemóvel em modo vibratório.
= I put/set my phone on vibrate (focus on the action of changing the setting)
Eu mantenho o telemóvel em modo vibratório.
= I keep my phone on vibrate (more formal / less common in everyday speech)

Deixar is very natural for “leave it in that mode.”

Does Eu deixo o telemóvel… describe a habit, or is it talking about this specific meeting?

By default, the present tense in Portuguese often expresses a general habit or usual behaviour, just like in English.

So:

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião.
= I (usually) keep my phone on vibrate during the meeting.

Context decides if it’s:

A general habit – what you normally do whenever there is a meeting
A specific plan – what you’re saying you will do in the meeting we’re talking about now

Spoken with the right context or intonation, it can mean:

I’ll keep my phone on vibrate during the meeting.

But grammatically it’s present; Portuguese often uses the present instead of the future for near-future plans, especially if the time is mentioned.

Can I drop the Eu and just say Deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião?

Yes. Portuguese is a “null-subject” language, so you can omit subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

Eu deixo o telemóvel…
Deixo o telemóvel…

Both are correct. The second is slightly more natural in normal conversation, unless you want to stress I (as opposed to someone else):

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório, mas tu desligas o teu.
I keep my phone on vibrate, but you turn yours off.

So:

Everyday neutral: Deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório…
Emphatic contrast / clarity: Eu deixo o telemóvel…

Why is it em modo vibratório and not no modo vibratório?

Em on its own (without the article) is often used for “in X mode/state” constructions:

em modo vibratório – on vibrate
em modo voo – in airplane mode
em modo silêncio – in silent mode
em modo de espera – on standby

If you say no modo vibratório (which = em + o modo vibratório), it’s not wrong, but it sounds less idiomatic and a bit more clunky in this fixed expression. In practice, people say:

Deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório. ✅ (most natural)

Compare:

O computador está em modo de segurança.
O telemóvel está em modo avião.

Could I say durante a reunião or na reunião? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different ideas:

durante a reunião = during the meeting
Focus on time duration: for the whole period of the meeting.
na reunião = in/at the meeting
Focus more on location / context: while you are in that meeting.

In this sentence, durante a reunião is very natural because we’re talking about what happens for the entire length of the meeting.

You could say:

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório na reunião.

It’s understandable and not wrong, but durante a reunião better expresses “for the duration of the meeting.”

Why is it a reunião and not o reunião? How do I know the gender?

Reunião is a feminine noun in Portuguese, so it takes a:

a reunião – the meeting
as reuniões – the meetings

Unfortunately, grammatical gender is something you mostly have to memorise. Some patterns help:

Many nouns ending in -ão are masculine (o avião, o coração, o verão),
but there are important feminine exceptions (a mão, a condição, a reunião).

The best approach is to always learn nouns with their article:

a reunião – (f.) meeting
o telemóvel – (m.) mobile phone

What is the gender of telemóvel, and does it ever change?

Telemóvel is masculine:

o telemóvel – the mobile phone
os telemóveis – the mobile phones

The gender of a noun is fixed; it doesn’t change depending on who owns it. So it’s always:

o meu telemóvel – my phone
o teu telemóvel – your phone (informal singular)
o seu telemóvel – your/his/her phone (formal or third person)

How would this sentence sound in Brazilian Portuguese? Is anything different?

The grammar is essentially the same, but there are some vocabulary differences and a slightly different preference for articles:

European Portuguese (Portugal):

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião.

Typical Brazilian Portuguese:

Eu deixo o celular no modo vibratório durante a reunião.

Main changes:

telemóvel → celular (Brazil)
em modo vibratório → no modo vibratório is more common in Brazil
(they tend to use the article here: no = em + o)

But if your focus is Portugal, stick with telemóvel and em modo vibratório.

Can I change the word order, for example: Eu deixo durante a reunião o telemóvel em modo vibratório?

That word order is grammatically possible, but it sounds unnatural in everyday speech. The most natural order is:

Eu deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião.

More flexible but still natural variations:

Durante a reunião, deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório.
Deixo o telemóvel em modo vibratório durante a reunião.

Putting durante a reunião in the middle (deixo durante a reunião o telemóvel…) sounds overly marked or literary in modern Portuguese. For normal conversation, keep:

subject (optional) → verb → direct object → em modo vibratório → durante a reunião

How is telemóvel pronounced, and what does the accent mark change?

Telemóvel is pronounced roughly:

[te-le-MÓ-vel] in European Portuguese

The acute accent on ó shows that:

The stress falls on that syllable: -mó-
The vowel is an open ó sound (similar to the o in English “off” for many accents)

Without the accent, the stress would be in a different place and the vowel quality could change, so the accent is important for correct pronunciation and stress:

te-le-MÓ-vel (correct)
(not TE-le-mo-vel or te-le-mo-VEL)