Questions & Answers about É difícil dizê-lo em voz alta.
Why does the verb change from dizer to dizê before the pronoun lo?
When an infinitive verb like dizer is attached to a direct object pronoun like o, a, os, or as, the verb drops its final -r. To make the combination easier to pronounce, we add an -l- to the pronoun. This rule also applies to verb forms ending in -s or -z.
Why is there a circumflex accent on dizê-lo when dizer doesn't have one?
Once you drop the -r, the word technically becomes an oxytone (a word stressed on the final syllable) ending in -e. Portuguese spelling rules require a written accent here to maintain the stress. We use the circumflex (ê) because the vowel is pronounced with a closed sound.
Could I avoid this complicated grammar and just say É difícil dizer isso?
Does em voz alta refer to the pitch or the volume of the voice?
It refers strictly to the volume, meaning "out loud" or "loudly". Although alta literally means "high" or "tall", when paired with voz (voice), it means loud. If you want to say the opposite ("quietly" or "in a low voice"), you would say em voz baixa.
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