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Eu limpo a secretária com um pano.

Eu limpo a secretária com um pano.
I clean the desk with a cloth.
FromLesson 31inHardcore Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of Eu limpo a secretária com um pano.

eu
I
um
a
limpar
to clean
com
with
o pano
the cloth
a secretária
the desk

Questions & Answers about Eu limpo a secretária com um pano.

Why is secretária used here to mean “desk”? Doesn’t it also mean “secretary”?
In European Portuguese, secretária can refer both to the furniture piece (a desk) and to a female secretary (the person). Context is your guide: you clean a desk but you usually don’t clean a person. If you really meant “secretary” you’d choose verbs like “ouvir” (to hear) or “ajudar” (to help) rather than “limpar”.
Why is there an acute accent on the á in secretária?
Portuguese stress rules dictate that words ending in a vowel normally stress the penultimate syllable. secretária is stressed on the antepenultimate syllable (se-cre-TÁ-ri-a), making it a proparoxytone. All proparoxytones require an accent mark to show the irregular stress.
What is the function of com in this sentence?
com introduces the instrument used to perform the action. Here it means “with,” so com um pano = “with a cloth.” In Portuguese the standard way to express the tool or instrument is com + [noun].
Why is it um pano (a cloth) and not o pano (the cloth)?
The indefinite article um indicates you’re using just “a cloth,” not a specific one already known to listener and speaker. If you had a particular cloth in mind (e.g. “the cloth on the shelf”), you would say “limpo a secretária com o pano da prateleira.”
Could I drop the subject pronoun eu and just say “Limpo a secretária com um pano.”?
Yes. Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o already tells you it’s first person singular. You include eu only for emphasis or contrast (e.g. “Eu limpo, mas tu não limpas.”).
What tense and person is limpo?
limpo is the present indicative, first person singular of the verb limpar. It translates literally as “I clean” or more loosely “I am cleaning.”
Can I use a different verb like lavar or esfregar instead of limpar?

They have different nuances:

  • limpar = to clean/wipe in general (dust, dirt, etc.)
  • lavar = to wash (usually with water or detergent)
  • esfregar = to scrub/rub hard
  • tirar o pó = to dust
    You’d pick according to the exact action you’re describing.
Are there synonyms for secretária when referring to the furniture?
Yes. In European Portuguese you might also hear “mesa de escritório” (office desk) or less commonly “escrivaninha” (borrowed from Brazilian usage). Usage varies by region and register.
Is the word order flexible? Could I say “Com um pano limpo a secretária”?
Yes, you can front the instrument: “Com um pano, limpo a secretária.” It’s grammatically correct but slightly more formal or poetic. The most neutral order remains “Eu limpo a secretária com um pano.”
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