Eu descanso num banco no jardim.

I rest on a bench in the garden.

Breakdown of Eu descanso num banco no jardim.

• eu: I
• descansar: to rest
• em: in
• o jardim: the garden
• o banco: the bench
• num: in

Questions & Answers about Eu descanso num banco no jardim.

Why do we need Eu? Could we just say Descanso num banco no jardim?

Yes, you can drop Eu.

In Portuguese (especially in Portugal), the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

• Eu descanso = I rest
  The -o ending in descanso already tells you the subject is eu.

So both of these are correct and mean the same thing:

• Eu descanso num banco no jardim.
• Descanso num banco no jardim.

Using Eu often adds a little emphasis on I (e.g. I rest, as opposed to someone else), but in a neutral context, it’s optional.

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What exactly does descanso mean, and is it the same as “I am resting”?

Descanso is the present tense of the verb descansar for eu (I):

• eu descanso = I rest

In Portuguese, the simple present can often express:

1. A habit:

   • Eu descanso ao fim de semana. = I rest on weekends.

2. An action happening right now, especially in European Portuguese:

   • Agora descanso num banco no jardim. = Right now I’m resting on a bench in the garden.

However, if you want to clearly say “I am resting (right now)”, the more explicit form in European Portuguese is:

• Eu estou a descansar num banco no jardim.

So:

• Eu descanso num banco no jardim.
  → More neutral: could be habit or present action, depends on context.
• Eu estou a descansar num banco no jardim.
  → Clearly an action in progress now: I am resting…

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How is descansar conjugated in the present tense?

Descansar is a regular -ar verb. In the present tense:

• eu descanso – I rest
• tu descansas – you rest (informal singular)
• ele / ela descansa – he / she rests
• nós descansamos – we rest
• vocês descansam – you rest (plural)
• eles / elas descansam – they rest

So descanso clearly points to eu as the subject.

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What does num mean, and why not just say em um banco?

Num is a contraction:

• num = em + um

So:

• em um banco → num banco (in/on a bank/bench)

In everyday European Portuguese, people almost always use the contraction (num, na, no, numa) instead of em + article:

• em um banco → num banco
• em o jardim → no jardim
• em uma casa → numa casa

Em um banco is grammatically correct but sounds unnatural in normal speech; num banco is the natural form.

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Why is it num banco (a bench) but no jardim (the garden)? Why different articles?

The difference is indefinite vs definite:

• num banco = em + um banco = on a bench (any bench, not specified)
• no jardim = em + o jardim = in the garden (a specific garden, understood from context)

So the sentence is:

• I rest *on a bench in the garden.*

This is very natural in Portuguese: you’re clearly talking about a particular garden (maybe your garden, or a park both speakers know), but the exact bench doesn’t matter.

You could also say:

• Eu descanso num banco num jardim. = I rest on a bench in a garden. (no specific garden)

Or:

• Eu descanso no banco no jardim. = I rest on the bench in the garden. (both bench and garden are specific)

The original sentence mixes them to reflect what is usually relevant in context.

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What does banco mean here? Does it mean “bank” (where you keep money) or “bench”?

Banco in Portuguese has two main meanings:

1. bank (financial institution)
2. bench or seat (especially a long seat, often in a park or garden)

In Eu descanso num banco no jardim, the context no jardim makes it clear it means a bench, not a financial bank.

If you wanted to be extra clear, you might say:

• Eu descanso num banco de jardim.
  (I rest on a garden bench.)

But in normal conversation, banco + context is enough.

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Why is it no jardim and not em jardim or num jardim?

No is another contraction:

• no = em + o (in the + masculine singular noun)

So:

• no jardim = in the garden

Using em without an article (em jardim) is unusual here and sounds incomplete; we usually keep the article:

• em o jardim → no jardim

If you say:

• num jardim = em + um jardim → in a garden (non-specific)

So:

• no jardim → in the garden
• num jardim → in a garden

Both are grammatically correct; which one you choose depends on whether the garden is specific or not.

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How do you pronounce Eu descanso num banco no jardim in European Portuguese?

Approximate pronunciation (European Portuguese):

• Eu → roughly “ehw” or “yoo” but often very short and unstressed
• descanso → dsh-KAN-soo
  
  • de- often sounds like dsh
  • stress on -can-
• num → nasal sound, close to “noong” but shorter; the m just nasalises the vowel
• banco → BANG-koo (with a nasal an)
• no → noo
• jardim → zhar-DEENG
  
  • j = soft zh like “measure”
  • im is nasal (like French vin), not a clear “eem”

So very roughly:

Eu descanso num banco no jardim.
Ew dsh-KAN-soo noong BANG-koo noo zhar-DEENG.

The key points:

• um, im, an are nasal.
• j = zh sound.

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Could I change the word order, like Eu descanso no jardim num banco?

Yes, that word order is possible:

• Eu descanso num banco no jardim.
• Eu descanso no jardim num banco.

Both are understandable and grammatically correct. The first (num banco no jardim) is more natural and common.

If you move things around too much, you may sound odd or overly emphatic. For example:

• Descanso eu num banco no jardim.

This is possible but sounds poetic, literary, or very emphatic, not neutral everyday speech.

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In some languages “to rest” is reflexive (like I rest myself). Why isn’t it eu me descanso in Portuguese?

In Portuguese, descansar is normally not reflexive when it means to rest:

• Eu descanso. = I rest. (not eu me descanso)

Eu me descanso is not natural in standard Portuguese in this sense.

So you say:

• Eu descanso num banco no jardim. = I rest on a bench in the garden.
• Depois do trabalho, descanso um pouco. = After work, I rest a bit.

Reflexive forms appear with other verbs (e.g. levantar-se, sentar-se), but not typically with descansar.