Quando eu vi aquela linda árvore, achei que seria um bom lugar para descansar.

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Breakdown of Quando eu vi aquela linda árvore, achei que seria um bom lugar para descansar.

• ser: to be
• um: a
• quando: when
• ver: to see
• para: for
• aquela: that
• lindo: beautiful
• a árvore: the tree
• achar: to think
• que: that
• bom: good
• o lugar: the place
• descansar: to rest

Questions & Answers about Quando eu vi aquela linda árvore, achei que seria um bom lugar para descansar.

Why do we say quando eu vi (past tense) instead of quando eu vejo (present tense)?

We use the past tense vi because we’re talking about a completed action that happened in the past (the moment you first noticed the tree). In Portuguese, the present tense vejo would imply something happening right now or generally true, which doesn’t match the context of recalling a past event.

Why is it achei que seria instead of achei que será?

In Portuguese, when describing a thought or assumption you made in the past about a future event, you typically use what’s sometimes called the “future in the past,” which uses the conditional (seria). The structure achei que seria aligns the tense of your assumption (made in the past) with the idea of a future possibility. Saying achei que será is uncommon because it mixes a past perspective (achei) with a present-future tense (será) in a way that sounds inconsistent in Portuguese.

Why do we say aquela linda árvore and not essa linda árvore?

• Aquela typically indicates something farther away from both speaker and listener or something “further back” in memory.
• Essa indicates something close to the listener or already mentioned clearly in context.
If you’re recalling a scene or pointing to something not immediately close to the listener, aquela is more appropriate.

Why do we say para descansar and not para descansar-me or something similar?

In Portuguese, it’s common to use descansar without adding the reflexive pronoun for rest (“to rest”) in this sort of sentence. While descansar-se sometimes appears in Brazilian Portuguese, it’s less frequent. The phrase para descansar straightforwardly expresses the purpose of resting without needing to specify “myself.” The context makes it clear who is resting.