Eu quero descansar, porém ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

I want to rest, but I still need to study for the exam.

Breakdown of Eu quero descansar, porém ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

• eu: I
• querer: to want
• precisar de: to need
• descansar: to rest
• estudar: to study
• para: for
• ainda: still
• o exame: the exam
• porém: but

Questions & Answers about Eu quero descansar, porém ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

Why is there a comma before porém?

In European Portuguese, porém is an adversative conjunction (like “however” or “but”).

When it connects two independent ideas, it is normally preceded by a comma:

• Eu quero descansar, porém ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.
  “I want to rest, however I still need to study for the exam.”

You can think of the comma as marking a small pause and signaling a contrast between the two clauses.

What is the difference between porém and mas? Can I say mas instead?

Yes, you can replace porém with mas here:

• Eu quero descansar, mas ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

mas = “but” (very common, neutral, used in speech and writing).
porém = “however / but” (more formal, more typical in writing, essays, news, etc.).

In everyday spoken European Portuguese, mas is much more common than porém in this sentence. Using porém is not wrong in speech; it just sounds a bit more formal or literary.

Can porém go in another position in the sentence?

Yes. porém is flexible. Besides ..., porém ainda preciso..., you might see:

• Eu quero descansar; ainda preciso, porém, de estudar para o exame.
• Eu quero descansar; porém, ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

All of these are grammatically correct.

General patterns:

• At the start of the second clause: Porém, ainda preciso...
• After the verb or subject inside the second clause: ainda preciso, porém, de estudar...

In speech, people usually just say:

• Eu quero descansar, mas ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.

Why is it preciso de estudar and not preciso estudar?

This is a key European vs Brazilian difference.

In European Portuguese:

• The verb precisar normally takes de before a noun or an infinitive:
  • precisar de + noun:
    
    • Preciso de ajuda. – “I need help.”
  • precisar de + infinitive:
    
    • Preciso de estudar. – “I need to study.”

In Brazilian Portuguese, especially in speech:

• It’s very common to drop de before an infinitive:
  
  • Preciso estudar. (BR) – “I need to study.”

So:

• In Portugal: preciso de estudar (standard and expected).
• In Brazil: preciso estudar (very common and natural).

Why is there de before estudar, but not before descansar?

Because the verbs querer and precisar have different patterns:

• querer + infinitive (no preposition):

  • Eu quero descansar. – “I want to rest.”
  • Quero comer. – “I want to eat.”

• precisar de + infinitive (in European Portuguese):

  • Eu preciso de estudar. – “I need to study.”
  • Preciso de dormir. – “I need to sleep.”

So:

• quero descansar (no de)
• preciso de estudar (with de)

What exactly does ainda add here? Can I just say preciso de estudar?

ainda means “still / yet”.

• ainda preciso de estudar ≈ “I still need to study / I still have to study.”
• preciso de estudar ≈ “I need to study.”

Without ainda, you state a need in general.
With ainda, you emphasise that the need continues; it hasn’t disappeared yet, maybe contrary to what you would like (you want to rest, but the obligation is still there).

You can say:

• Eu quero descansar, mas preciso de estudar para o exame.

It’s correct, but it loses the nuance of “still”.

Can ainda go in another position, like preciso ainda de estudar?

Yes, word order with ainda is somewhat flexible. All of these are possible:

• Ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.
• Eu ainda preciso de estudar para o exame.
• Eu preciso ainda de estudar para o exame. (more formal / written style)

Putting ainda right before the verb (ainda preciso) is the most common and natural in everyday speech.

Placing it after the verb (preciso ainda) is more literary or emphatic and less frequent in casual conversation.

Could I drop the Eu and just say Quero descansar, porém ainda preciso de estudar…?

Yes.

In Portuguese, the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows the person:

• (Eu) quero descansar.
• (Eu) preciso de estudar.

Both with and without eu are correct.
Including eu can:

• add emphasis (“I want to rest”),
• or just sound natural depending on rhythm/context.

In isolation, Quero descansar, mas ainda preciso de estudar… is very normal and idiomatic.

Why is it descansar and not descanso in Eu quero descansar?

descansar is a verb (“to rest”), descanso is a noun (“rest”).

• Eu quero descansar.
  Literally: “I want to rest.”
  (verb + infinitive)

If you say:

• Eu quero descanso.

You’re saying “I want rest” (I want some rest / a period of rest). It’s not wrong, but it is a bit different:

• quero descansar focuses on the action of resting.
• quero descanso focuses on the thing/state you want (rest).

In this context, quero descansar is the more typical choice.

What tense are quero and preciso? Do they translate as “I want / I need” or “I would like / I should”?

quero and preciso are in the present indicative:

• (eu) quero = “I want”
• (eu) preciso = “I need”

They are straightforward, direct statements of desire/necessity.

To say “I would like” you’d typically use:

• Gostaria de descansar. – “I would like to rest.”
• Queria descansar. – literally “I wanted to rest,” often used as a polite/softer form.

Your sentence is more direct and less “polite-formula”; that’s fine and natural in many contexts.

Why is it para o exame and not just para exame?

In European Portuguese, when you refer to a specific exam (the one you and your listener know about), you normally use the definite article:

• para o exame – “for the exam”

You can see para exame in some fixed expressions or very general statements (e.g. “medicamento para exame de sangue” in certain technical contexts), but for a personal situation like this, para o exame is the normal, idiomatic form.

So:

• Preciso de estudar para o exame. = “I need to study for the exam (that’s coming).” ✅
• Preciso de estudar para exame. – sounds incomplete or unusual in everyday speech.