Breakdown of A vizinha está a descansar depois de trabalhar.
estar
to be
descansar
to rest
depois de
after
trabalhar
to work
a vizinha
the neighbor
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Questions & Answers about A vizinha está a descansar depois de trabalhar.
Why does it say A vizinha and not Uma vizinha?
A vizinha uses the definite article a (feminine singular), meaning the (female) neighbour—a specific neighbour known from context. Uma vizinha would mean a neighbour (one, unspecified), often used when introducing her for the first time.
Do I need to say ela (she) here?
No. Portuguese commonly drops subject pronouns because the verb form already signals the person. (Ela) está a descansar… is grammatical, but in neutral speech A vizinha está… or just Está a descansar… (if the subject is clear) is more natural.
Why is it está and not é?
Estar is used for temporary states/conditions and ongoing situations, while ser is for more permanent/essential characteristics. Resting is temporary, so A vizinha está a descansar is correct.
What does está a descansar mean grammatically? Is it like an English continuous tense?
Yes. In European Portuguese, the usual way to express an action in progress is estar a + infinitive:
- está a descansar = is resting / is having a rest / is in the process of resting
This is the common EP equivalent of the English present continuous.
Is está descansando also possible?
In Portugal, está a descansar is the standard everyday form. está descansando (gerund) is much more typical of Brazilian Portuguese, and in EP it can sound non‑native or stylistically marked (though it may appear in some contexts like older/literary usage).
Why is there an a before descansar?
That a is part of the EP progressive construction estar a + infinitive. It’s not the feminine article here; it functions more like a preposition introducing the infinitive.
What is the function of depois de in depois de trabalhar?
depois de means after and can be followed by:
- a noun: depois do trabalho (after work)
- an infinitive: depois de trabalhar (after working)
Here it introduces an infinitive phrase describing what happened before the resting.
Why is it trabalhar (infinitive) and not a conjugated verb?
Because after depois de, Portuguese often uses the infinitive to express after doing something in a general way. If you want to specify the subject explicitly, you can use the personal infinitive, e.g.:
- depois de trabalhar (after working)
- depois de ela trabalhar (after she works/after she has worked)
Could I also say depois de ter trabalhado?
Yes. depois de ter trabalhado (after having worked) makes the sequence even clearer: the working is fully completed before the resting. In many everyday contexts, depois de trabalhar is already enough and more concise.
Does A vizinha always mean “female neighbour”? What if the neighbour is male?
Yes. vizinha is feminine. The masculine is vizinho:
- O vizinho está a descansar depois de trabalhar.
Article and adjective forms agree in gender and number.
Is there any difference between descansar and repousar here?
descansar is the most common, everyday verb for to rest / take a break. repousar can also mean to rest, but it often sounds more formal, literary, or like to lie down/rest in a more “resting the body” sense.
Where does the stress go in pronunciation: vizinha, está, descansar, depois?
Rough guide (EP):
- vizinha: stress on zi (vi-ZI-nha)
- está: stress on the last syllable (tá), and the accent marks it
- descansar: stress on the last syllable (des-can-SAR)
- depois: stress on the last syllable (de-POIS)