Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Ainda que eu cometa um erro, falo sem medo. - Even if I make a mistake, I speak without fear.

Cometa is the present subjunctive form of cometer. It is required here because of the phrase ainda que (even if / even though). This type of linking phrase always triggers the subjunctive because it introduces a condition or obstacle that doesn't prevent the main action from happening.

I want to say 'make a mistake'. Why doesn't the sentence use a form of fazer (to make / do)?

In Portuguese, certain word pairings differ from English. You cannot 'make' a mistake (fazer um erro). Instead, you must 'commit' a mistake: cometer um erro.

Could ainda que eu cometa also translate to 'even though I make a mistake'?

Absolutely. Ainda que can mean both 'even if' (a hypothetical scenario) and 'even though' (an established fact). The context determines which English translation fits best, but the Portuguese grammar remains exactly the same.

Why is falo in the normal present tense and not the subjunctive like cometa?

Only the part of the sentence introduced by ainda que takes the subjunctive, because that is the phrase setting up the hypothetical condition. The main action (falo sem medo) is stated as a concrete reality, so it stays in the normal present indicative tense.