Depois de lavar a roupa, preciso de estender as camisas no estendal do pátio.

After washing the clothes, I need to hang the shirts on the clothesline in the yard.

Breakdown of Depois de lavar a roupa, preciso de estender as camisas no estendal do pátio.

• eu: I
• de: of
• precisar de: to need
• em: in
• depois de: after
• a roupa: the clothes
• as: the
• lavar: to wash
• a camisa: the shirt
• estender: to hang
• o estendal: the clothesline
• o pátio: the yard

Questions & Answers about Depois de lavar a roupa, preciso de estender as camisas no estendal do pátio.

Why is the preposition de included after preciso? Can’t we just say preciso estender?

In European Portuguese, precisar works in two ways:

• As a prepositional verb requiring de when followed by a noun (e.g. preciso de ajuda).
• Directly with an infinitive without de (e.g. preciso estudar).
  In everyday speech many speakers say preciso de estender (with de
  • infinitive), but the more “prescriptive” form is preciso estender. Both are understood.

Why do we say depois de before the infinitive lavar, and not depois que?

Portuguese uses:

• depois de
  • infinitive to talk about one action following another in a general, timeless way (Depois de lavar a roupa…).
• depois que
  • finite verb to specify a subject or tense (Depois que eu lavei a roupa, saí de casa).

Why is roupa singular (a roupa) rather than plural (as roupas)?

Roupa is usually an uncountable noun meaning “laundry” or “clothes” in general. So lavar a roupa = “do the laundry.” You could say as roupas if you refer to specific items, but in everyday Portuguese the singular is standard.

What exactly is an estendal, and how would I translate it into English?

An estendal is any device for hanging wet laundry to dry. It can be:
• A clothesline (ropes between two points)
• A drying rack (foldable metal/wooden frame)
In this sentence estendal do pátio means “the clothesline/drying rack in the courtyard.”

What does pátio mean? Is it the same as terraço?

Pátio is a ground-level courtyard or patio, often paved and adjacent to a house.
Terraço is a terrace or roof-top balcony, usually raised.
Here, pátio indicates an outdoor area at ground level.

Why do we see no estendal instead of em o estendal?

In Portuguese em + o contracts to no.

• em (in/on) + o estendal → no estendal (“on the clothesline”).

Could I say “preciso das camisas no estendal” instead?

No—“preciso das camisas no estendal” would mean “I need the shirts that are in the drying rack” (i.e., I want to collect them).
To express “I have to hang the shirts on the rack,” you need the verb estender:
preciso (de) estender as camisas no estendal.