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Portuguese Phrase

Não consigo te ouvir muito bem.

/nãw̃ kõˈsiɡu tʃi oˈviɾ ˈmũj.tu ˈbẽj̃/
Meaning"I can't hear you very well."
💡

Meaning

Literally, ‘I can’t hear you very well.’ It is used when the speaker is having difficulty catching the other person’s words, often because of distance, background noise, or a poor connection.

🎯

When to use

Use this phrase on the phone, in a noisy café, or any situation where the listener needs the speaker to repeat or speak louder. It is informal, so reserve it for friends, family, or peers.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Nãoconsigoteouvirmuitobem

1

Negation (Não)

‘Não’ placed before the verb negates the whole clause.

2

Conjugation (conseguir)

‘Conseguir’ is a regular -ir verb; here it is in the present indicative, 1st person singular (eu consigo).

3

Clitic pronoun (te)

‘Te’ is the informal second‑person singular object pronoun, attached before the infinitive.

4

Infinitive verb (ouvir)

After ‘conseguir’, the dependent verb stays in the infinitive.

5

Adverbial phrase (muito bem)

‘Muito’ intensifies the adverb ‘bem’, together meaning ‘very well’.

🗨In Conversation

A

Você está me ouvindo?

Can you hear me?

Não consigo te ouvir muito bem.

I can’t hear you very well.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Não consigo ouvir você bem.

    The object pronoun should precede the infinitive when using ‘conseguir’; also ‘bem’ needs the intensifier ‘muito’ for the intended meaning.

  • Não consigo te escutar muito bem.

    ‘Escutar’ is acceptable, but the more natural collocation with ‘conseguir’ is ‘ouvir’. Using ‘escutar’ sounds slightly forced.

  • Não consigo te ouvir bem muito.

    Adverb order in Portuguese is ‘muito bem’, not ‘bem muito’.

↔Alternatives

  • Não consigo escutar você direito.

    I can't hear you properly.

  • Estou com dificuldade para te ouvir.

    I'm having trouble hearing you.

  • Você pode falar mais alto?

    Can you speak louder?

pt

Cultural Tip

In Brazil, ‘te’ is the informal object pronoun used with people you know well. In a formal context you would say ‘Não consigo o(a) ouvir bem’ or replace ‘te’ with ‘o’/‘a’. Also, ‘ouvir’ and ‘escutar’ are often interchangeable, but ‘ouvir’ is slightly more neutral while ‘escutar’ can imply a more active listening effort.