Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame. - I feel tension in my body when I am anxious before the exam.

Eu sinto tensão = I feel tension.
- Focuses on the subjective sensation in that moment.
- Very natural when talking about how your body feels.
Eu tenho tensão = literally I have tension.
- Could sound more like a condition or even a medical issue (e.g. tensão arterial = blood pressure).
- Less natural here for a normal pre‑exam feeling.
Eu estou com tensão = I’m with tension / I’m tense (right now).
- Used, but sounds a bit more colloquial and general, not specifically “in the body”.

So eu sinto tensão is the clearest and most natural way to describe that you feel tension as a bodily sensation in this context.

Could I say eu sinto-me tenso instead of eu sinto tensão no corpo?

Yes, you can, but the nuance changes slightly:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo
- Literally: I feel tension in (my) body.
- Emphasises the physical sensation, like tight muscles or stiffness.
Eu sinto-me tenso
- Literally: I feel tense. (reflexive form)
- Emphasises a general state (emotional + physical), not specifically located in the body.

Both are correct; in European Portuguese, sinto-me tenso is very natural.
If you want to stress the physical aspect, tensão no corpo is a bit more explicit.

Why is it no corpo and not no meu corpo?

In Portuguese, it’s common to use a simple definite article for body parts when it’s clear we’re talking about the subject’s own body:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo. = literally I feel tension in *the body, but understood as *in my body.
Ela tem dores na cabeça. = She has pain in *the head → *she has a headache.

You can say no meu corpo (in my body), and it’s correct, but it sounds a bit heavier and more emphatic, as if you’re contrasting my body with someone else’s.
In everyday speech, no corpo is more natural here.

Can I drop the eu and just say Sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame?

Yes. In Portuguese, subject pronouns are often omitted because verb endings already show the person:

Eu sinto → sinto (still clearly I feel).
Quando estou ansioso → no need for eu again: the form estou already indicates I.

So all of these are correct and natural:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.
Sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.

Leaving out eu is very common in European Portuguese, especially in speech.

Why is it estou ansioso and not sou ansioso?

Because estar describes a temporary state, while ser usually describes a permanent or defining characteristic:

Estou ansioso = I am anxious (now / in this situation).
Sou ansioso = I am an anxious person (by nature / in general).

Before an exam, you normally mean a temporary feeling, so:

quando estou ansioso antes do exame = when I am feeling anxious before the exam.

Using sou ansioso here would sound like you’re describing your general personality, not just your pre‑exam state.

What’s the difference between ansioso and nervoso here?

Both can fit, but the nuance is slightly different:

ansioso
- Closer to anxious or eager but worried.
- Often used when there’s anticipation about something that’s coming (like an exam, results, an event).
nervoso
- Closer to nervous (on edge, agitated).
- Focuses more on tension or irritability, not always linked to anticipation.

In the context of before the exam, both work:

quando estou ansioso antes do exame
quando estou nervoso antes do exame

Ansioso slightly emphasises the anxiety about the exam; nervoso focuses more on being on edge.

Why is it antes do exame and not antes de exame or antes de o exame?

Portuguese normally contracts the preposition de with the definite article:

de + o = do
de + a = da
de + os = dos
de + as = das

So:

antes de o exame → antes do exame (correct and normal).

Antes de exame (without article) is unusual here. You almost always use an article with specific events like o exame, o teste, o jantar, etc.

So antes do exame is the standard, natural form.

Can I move quando estou ansioso antes do exame to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Word order is flexible with quando-clauses:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.
Quando estou ansioso antes do exame, eu sinto tensão no corpo.

Both are correct. Putting the quando-clause first is slightly more formal or narrative, but very normal in both speech and writing.

You can also drop eu in the second version:

Quando estou ansioso antes do exame, sinto tensão no corpo.

Is the tense estou ansioso (present) used here for a general habit, not just right now?

Yes. Portuguese often uses the present simple to talk about general, repeated situations:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.
= I (generally) feel tension in my body when I’m anxious before the exam (any time I have an exam).

This is similar to English “I feel…” / “I get anxious…” in a habitual sense.
You don’t need a special tense; the simple present already covers habitual actions.

Is no corpo necessary, or could I just say Eu sinto tensão quando estou ansioso antes do exame?

Both are correct:

Eu sinto tensão quando estou ansioso antes do exame.
- General: I feel tension (stress).
- The tension could be physical or emotional, unspecific.
Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.
- Explicitly physical: I feel tension in my body.

If you want to highlight bodily symptoms (muscles, stomach, shoulders, etc.), no corpo makes that clear.
Without no corpo, it sounds slightly more general.

Why is it no corpo and not em corpo or ao corpo?

No is a contraction of em + o:

em + o = no
em + a = na

For locations or where something happens inside or on something, em is the normal preposition:

no corpo = in the body
na cabeça = in the head
no braço = in the arm

Em corpo (without the article) is unidiomatic here.
Ao corpo (a + o) means to the body and would have a different meaning (direction, effect), not location. So no corpo is the correct choice.

How is this sentence pronounced in European Portuguese?

Approximate pronunciation (EP):

Eu → /eu/ (like “eh-oo”, quite fast)
sinto → /ˈsĩtu/ (first syllable nasal: like “SEEN-too” with nasal ee)
tensão → /tẽˈsɐ̃w̃/ (both vowels nasal; final ão like in São Paulo)
no → /nu/ (close to “noo”)
corpo → /ˈkoɾpu/ (single flap r, like a quick American tt in “butter”)
quando → /ˈkwɐ̃du/ (first vowel like a short uh, nasal)
estou → /ʃˈto/ (initial es becomes /ʃ/; sounds like “shto”)
ansioso → /ɐ̃siˈozu/ (first vowel very reduced; si-O-zu)
antes → /ˈɐ̃tɨʃ/ (final s often /ʃ/ in EP)
do → /du/
exame → /ɨˈzɐm(ɨ)/ (initial e reduced /ɨ/, x = /z/)

Spoken naturally, many vowels reduce, especially e and o in unstressed positions, and the sentence flows as one unit.

Is there any difference between European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese for this sentence?

Grammatically and lexically, the sentence works in both varieties:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando estou ansioso antes do exame.

Main differences would be:

Pronunciation:
- In Brazil, vowels are usually more open and clear; final s is often /s/ instead of /ʃ/.
- exame = /eˈzɐmi/ more commonly in Brazil.
Word choice:
- Brazilians might also often say fico ansioso (I get anxious), but estou ansioso is fine.

The given sentence is perfectly natural in European Portuguese and acceptable Brazilian Portuguese.

Could I say fico ansioso instead of estou ansioso?

Yes, and the meaning changes slightly:

quando estou ansioso = when I am anxious (in that state).
quando fico ansioso = when I become / get anxious (focus on the change into that state).

In many contexts, fico ansioso sounds very natural and is often closer to English “when I get anxious”:

Eu sinto tensão no corpo quando fico ansioso antes do exame.

Both are correct; choose estou for the state, fico for entering that state.

Is there any reason not to use a gerund like English “When I am getting anxious”?

Portuguese doesn’t use the gerund in the same way as English for general conditions. The English “when I’m getting anxious” is normally just:

quando fico ansioso
or
quando começo a ficar ansioso

Using a gerund like quando estou ficando ansioso is possible but sounds heavy and unusual in European Portuguese, especially in this kind of general statement.
So quando fico ansioso or quando estou ansioso are the natural options.