Breakdown of O ortodontista recomenda que eu use o aparelho.
eu
I
usar
to use / to wear
que
that (conjunction)
recomendar
to recommend
o ortodontista
the orthodontist
o aparelho
the braces
Questions & Answers about O ortodontista recomenda que eu use o aparelho.
Why is the verb usar in the subjunctive form (use) here?
The verb recomendar expresses a desire, request, or recommendation for someone else to do something. Verbs that try to influence another person's actions automatically trigger the subjunctive mood in the following que clause.
I've seen aparelho translated as "appliance" or "device". Is it the standard word for "braces"?
Yes, in Portugal, aparelho (short for aparelho ortodôntico) is the everyday word for dental braces. While it does broadly mean "device" or "apparatus" in other contexts, pairing it with an orthodontist makes the dental meaning obvious.
If my orthodontist were a woman, would the word change to "ortodontista" and a man be "ortodontisto"?
This lesson focuses on custar a. How would I apply that to this sentence's vocabulary to say "It is hard for me to wear the braces"?
You would say Custa-me a usar o aparelho. The verb custar is conjugated in the third-person singular because the action itself is the subject, the pronoun me shows who is struggling, and the preposition a connects it to the infinitive verb usar.
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