Breakdown of Custou-lhe a falar baixo porque o aparelho roçava na ferida.
em
in / on / at
falar
to speak
a
to / at (direction)
porque
because
lhe
to him / to her / to you (formal)
baixo
short (in height) / low
o aparelho
the braces
custar a
to be hard (for someone) to do
roçar
to rub
a ferida
the sore
Questions & Answers about Custou-lhe a falar baixo porque o aparelho roçava na ferida.
Why is there an a between Custou-lhe and falar?
This is the verb valency anomaly at play. Traditionally, the infinitive acts as the subject ("speaking quietly cost him"), so no preposition is needed: Custou-lhe falar. However, native speakers often insert an a before the infinitive, saying Custou-lhe a falar. Both are widely used and accepted in European Portuguese to mean "He found it hard to speak."
Could I also say Ele custou a falar baixo?
Yes! The verb custar is highly flexible in spoken Portuguese. While the traditional structure uses an indirect object pronoun to show who is struggling (Custou-lhe), colloquial European Portuguese often turns the person into the subject: Ele custou a falar. Both forms mean exactly the same thing.
Can I use baixamente instead of baixo to mean "quietly"?
No, baixamente means "basely" or "vilely" in a moral sense, not "quietly". To talk about volume, Portuguese directly uses the adjectives alto (loud) and baixo (quiet/low) as adverbs. Therefore, falar baixo is the correct way to say "to speak quietly".
Why use the imperfect tense roçava instead of the preterite roçou?
The imperfect (roçava) sets up an ongoing background condition. It shows that the braces were continuously rubbing against the sore during the time he was trying to speak. The difficulty he experienced is treated as a specific past event (Custou-lhe in the preterite), which was caused by that ongoing rubbing.
Doesn't aparelho usually mean "device" or "appliance"?
Yes, aparelho is a very broad word for an apparatus or machine (like a stereo or a kitchen appliance). However, in the context of teeth and mouths, it is the standard, everyday word for orthodontic braces, acting as a shortened form of aparelho dentário.
Learn Custou-lhe a falar baixo porque o aparelho roçava na ferida and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free