Hoje eu só quero descansar.

Today I just want to rest.

Breakdown of Hoje eu só quero descansar.

• eu: I
• hoje: today
• querer: to want
• descansar: to rest
• só: just

Questions & Answers about Hoje eu só quero descansar.

What exactly does só mean here? Is it “only”, “just”, or “alone”?

In Hoje eu só quero descansar, só is an adverb meaning “only / just”:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar.
  → Today I only/just want to rest.

So the idea is: the only thing I want to do is rest, nothing else.

It does not mean alone here.
For alone, you would normally use sozinho/sozinha:

• Hoje eu quero descansar sozinho.
  → Today I want to rest alone.

Also, the accent matters: só is the correct modern spelling. Writing so without an accent in this meaning would be considered a spelling mistake in contemporary Portuguese.

Why is só placed before quero? Can I move it to another place in the sentence?

Word order with só is important because moving it changes what is being limited:

1. Hoje eu só quero descansar.
   → Today I only want to rest.
   Meaning: Of all the things I could want, the only thing I want is to rest.

2. Hoje só eu quero descansar.
   → Today only I want to rest.
   Meaning: Among all people, I am the only one who wants to rest.

3. Só hoje eu quero descansar.
   → Only today do I want to rest.
   Meaning: It’s only today (not yesterday, not tomorrow) that I want to rest.

4. Eu quero só descansar.
   → I just want to rest.
   Very similar to the original, but the focus is slightly more on the action: “I don’t want to do anything except rest.”

So in your sentence, só is before quero to say that what is limited is your wanting (you only want one thing).

Can I drop eu and just say Hoje só quero descansar?

Yes, and in Portugal that’s actually very common and very natural:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar.
• Hoje só quero descansar.

Both are correct.

Because Portuguese verb endings show the subject (quero = I want), the pronoun eu is often omitted unless you want to:

• Emphasise I as the subject:
  Hoje eu só quero descansar (não tu / não ele).
• Add a bit more clarity in spoken language or contrast with others.

In everyday European Portuguese, Hoje só quero descansar will sound completely natural.

Why is it quero descansar and not something like quero de descansar?

With the verb querer (to want), Portuguese uses a very simple structure:

querer + infinitive

So you say:

• Quero descansar. → I want to rest.
• Quero comer. → I want to eat.
• Queremos sair. → We want to go out.

You do not add a preposition between querer and the infinitive.
Forms like quero de descansar or quero a descansar are incorrect.

There are other verbs that do need a preposition (e.g. começar a descansar, esquecer-se de descansar), but querer is not one of them.

Should descansar be reflexive, like descansar-me?

No. In modern standard Portuguese, descansar is not normally reflexive when you mean “to rest”:

• Vou descansar. → I’m going to rest.
• Precisas de descansar. → You need to rest.

Forms like vou descansar-me can appear in old texts or in specific dialects/contexts, but for everyday European Portuguese, they sound strange or old-fashioned.

So in your sentence, Hoje eu só quero descansar is the natural form; adding -me would be incorrect in normal modern use.

How do you pronounce the whole sentence in European Portuguese?

In European Portuguese (Portugal), a good approximation is:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar.
  IPA (roughly): [ˈo.ʒ(ɨ) ew ˈsɔ ˈkjɛ.ɾu dɨʃ.kɐ̃ˈsaɾ]

Piece by piece:

• Hoje → /ˈo.ʒ(ɨ)/

  • The h is silent.
  • Sounds like “OH-zh(uh)” (the last vowel is very reduced, sometimes almost not heard).

• eu → /ew/

  • Like English “ehw” (a quick eh
    • oo glide).

• só → /sɔ/

  • Like English “saw” (but shorter).

• quero → /ˈkjɛ.ɾu/

  • que- like “kyeh”, -ro like “roo” with a soft r (flap, like a quick American tt in better).

• descansar → /dɨʃ.kɐ̃ˈsaɾ/ (EP)

  • de- has a very reduced vowel, something like “dɨsh”.
  • -can- → “kɐ̃”, with a nasal sound.
  • -sar → “sar” with a single tapped r.

Native speech will blend these together, but this gives you the general idea.

The verb quero is in the present tense. Does it refer to right now, to later today, or both?

In Portuguese, present tense + time expression is often used for current or near-future plans. In your sentence:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar.

the present tense quero covers:

• A current state: Right now, my wish/feeling is that I only want to rest.
• An intention for today: What I plan for today is just to rest.

If you wanted to sound more like a firm plan for the future part of the day, you could also say:

• Hoje vou descansar. → Today I’m going to rest.
• Hoje quero é descansar. (colloquial, emphatic in PT) → Today what I want is to rest.

But Hoje eu só quero descansar already works very well for “All I want (today) is to rest.”

What’s the difference between só, somente, and apenas in Portugal?

All three can mean “only / just”, but their flavour is different:

• só

  • Most common in everyday spoken Portuguese.
  • Neutral and very natural:
    
    • Hoje eu só quero descansar.

• apenas

  • Feels a bit more formal or written, although it’s also used in speech.
  • Often slightly more elegant or careful in tone:
    
    • Hoje eu apenas quero descansar.

• somente

  • More formal / literary / emphatic.
  • You’ll see it a lot in writing, less in casual conversation:
    
    • Hoje eu somente quero descansar.

In normal conversation in Portugal, só is by far the most typical choice here.

Does só here mean “alone”? If not, how do I say “I want to rest alone today”?

In Hoje eu só quero descansar, só means “only / just”, not “alone”.

• Meaning: I just want to rest (and do nothing else).

To say “I want to rest alone” (by myself), you would usually use sozinho (masc.) or sozinha (fem.):

• Hoje eu quero descansar sozinho. (said by a man)
• Hoje eu quero descansar sozinha. (said by a woman)

So:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar. → Today I just want to rest (do nothing else).
• Hoje eu quero descansar sozinho/sozinha. → Today I want to rest alone (by myself).

Can I move hoje to the end and say Eu só quero descansar hoje? Is there a difference in meaning?

Yes, you can, and both orders are correct:

1. Hoje eu só quero descansar.
2. Eu só quero descansar hoje.

Both can be translated as “Today I just want to rest.”

The difference is mainly one of focus:

• Hoje eu só quero descansar.
  Starts with Hoje, so it highlights today first:
  “As for today, I just want to rest.”

• Eu só quero descansar hoje.
  Starts with Eu, so it highlights the subject and action first:
  “I only want to rest (and that’s for today).”

In everyday use, the difference is subtle, and both will be understood the same way in context. In European Portuguese, all of these variants are natural:

• Hoje só quero descansar.
• Hoje eu só quero descansar.
• Eu só quero descansar hoje.