Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.

In three days, I am going to rest at home.

Breakdown of Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.

• eu: I
• a casa: the house
• em: at
• ir: to go
• o dia: the day
• descansar: to rest
• três: three
• daqui a: in (from now)

Questions & Answers about Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.

Why do we say Daqui a três dias to mean “in three days”? What does it literally mean?

Daqui literally means “from here” (in space or time).
When used with time, daqui means “from now”.

The a is a preposition that you can think of as “to / until” in this context.

So Daqui a três dias is literally:
“From now to three days” → idiomatically: “in three days (from now)”.

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Could I just say Em três dias instead of Daqui a três dias?

You can say em três dias, but the meaning is not always the same:

• Daqui a três dias = in three days from now, at that future point.

  • Example: Daqui a três dias, eu vou viajar. → I will travel three days from now.

• Em três dias often means “within three days / in a period of three days” (duration).

  • Example: Eu fiz o trabalho em três dias. → I did the work in three days (it took three days).

If you want to say “in three days from now”, Daqui a três dias is the clearest and most natural option.

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What is the function of a in daqui a três dias? Is it an article?

No, this a is not the feminine article (“the”).
It is the preposition a, used in time expressions to indicate “up to / until (a point in time)”.

Structure:

• daqui = from here / from now
• a = to / until
• três dias = three days

So it’s a prepositional pattern: daqui a + time period.

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Can I say Daqui três dias without the a?

In everyday speech, some Brazilians do say Daqui três dias, dropping the a, and people will understand you.

However, the standard and more correct form is Daqui a três dias.
For writing, for learners, and in more careful speech, you should keep the a.

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Why is there a comma after Daqui a três dias?

Daqui a três dias is a time expression (an adverbial phrase) placed at the beginning of the sentence.

In Portuguese, when you move such a phrase to the front, it is normally separated by a comma:

• Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.
• Hoje, eu vou ao mercado.
• No ano que vem, ela vai estudar fora.

If you put the time expression at the end, you usually don’t need a comma:

• Eu vou descansar em casa daqui a três dias.

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Can I move Daqui a três dias to the end of the sentence?

Yes. All of these are natural:

• Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.
• Eu vou descansar em casa daqui a três dias.
• Eu vou descansar daqui a três dias em casa. (possible, but less usual word order)

Most commonly, the time expression goes at the beginning or end.
Putting it in the middle is possible but sounds more marked.

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Why is it Eu vou descansar and not Eu descansarei? What’s the difference?

Portuguese has two main ways to talk about the future:

1. ir (conjugated) + infinitive

   • Eu vou descansar. → I am going to rest.
     Very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, neutral and natural.

2. simple future (synthetic)

   • Eu descansarei. → I will rest.
     Feels more formal, written, or literary, and is less common in everyday speech.

Meaning-wise, both indicate future, but in real Brazilian usage:

• Eu vou descansar = what you will hear most in conversation.
• Eu descansarei = can sound serious, emphatic, or a bit stiff in casual speech.

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Is the subject eu necessary, or can I omit it?

You can omit eu:

• Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa.
• Daqui a três dias, vou descansar em casa.

Portuguese verb forms show the person clearly (vou is only “I go / I’m going”), so the subject pronoun is often optional.

We usually:

• Include eu for emphasis or contrast:
  Eu vou descansar em casa, eles vão viajar.
• Omit it when it’s already clear who the subject is.

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What’s the difference between em casa and na casa?

• em casa = at home (your own home, or “home” in general)

  • Vou descansar em casa. → I’m going to rest at home.
    This is a fixed, very common expression.

• na casa = em + a casa = in the house / at the house (a specific house)

  • Vou descansar na casa da minha avó. → I’m going to rest at my grandmother’s house.

For the English idea “at home”, you should use em casa, not na casa.

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Why do we say descansar em casa and not just descansar casa?

In Portuguese, you cannot drop the preposition here.

• descansar = to rest
• em casa = at home

You need em to show where you will rest:

• Vou descansar em casa. ✅
• Vou descansar casa. ❌ (incorrect; sounds like you’re “resting the house”)

Place expressions almost always require a preposition (em, para, de, etc.).

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How do I say “three days ago” in Portuguese? Is it related to Daqui a três dias?

Yes, it’s related but with different words and direction in time.

For “three days ago”, you can say:

• Há três dias
• Três dias atrás

Examples:

• Eu cheguei aqui há três dias.
• Eu cheguei aqui três dias atrás.
  → I arrived here three days ago.

Compare:

• Daqui a três dias = three days from now (future)
• Há três dias / Três dias atrás = three days before now (past)

Be careful: Daqui a is for the future; há / atrás are for the past.

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Can I use Daqui a with other time expressions?

Yes, daqui a + time is a very productive pattern. Some examples:

• Daqui a pouco → in a bit / in a little while
• Daqui a uma hora → in an hour
• Daqui a uma semana → in a week
• Daqui a dois anos → in two years

You can plug almost any time period into this structure.

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Is the sentence Daqui a três dias, eu vou descansar em casa natural for Brazilians?

Yes, it’s correct, natural, and common.

You might also hear slight variations, all natural:

• Daqui a três dias, vou descansar em casa. (without eu)
• Daqui a três dias eu vou descansar em casa. (no comma in casual writing)
• Eu vou descansar em casa daqui a três dias. (time at the end)

All of these sound fine in Brazilian Portuguese.