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Eu desligo o computador.

Eu desligo o computador.
I switch off the computer.
From Lesson 65:Past tense of regular -er and -ir verbs·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eu desligo o computador.

eu
I
o computador
the computer
desligar
to switch off

Questions & Answers about Eu desligo o computador.

What is the connection between desligar and ligar?
Desligar (to turn off or disconnect) is just the verb ligar (to turn on or connect) with the prefix des- added to it. This prefix works a lot like "un-" or "dis-" in English to show the opposite action!
How is the letter 's' in desligo pronounced?
Because the 's' comes right before the consonant 'l', it makes a "zh" sound, similar to the 's' in the English word "measure". In European Portuguese, an 's' at the end of a syllable takes on this "zh" sound whenever the next consonant is voiced (like l, m, n, or v).
Since we are studying the simple past tense, how would I change this to "I switched off"?
Your current lesson focuses on -er and -ir verbs, but desligar is a regular -ar verb. To change this sentence to the simple past tense, you would say Eu desliguei o computador. The -ei ending is the standard past tense ending for the eu form of regular -ar verbs.
Is there a trick to remember the gender of computador?
Yes! As a helpful rule of thumb for beginners, almost all Portuguese nouns that end in -dor are masculine. That is why we use the masculine word for "the", which is o, to say o computador.

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