Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Leio um livro quando não trabalho.

Leio um livro quando não trabalho.

I read a book when I am not working.

Breakdown of Leio um livro quando não trabalho.

a / an / some (all forms)

trabalhar

to work

Questions & Answers about Leio um livro quando não trabalho.

Why are there no words for "I" in this sentence?

In Portuguese, the verb endings usually tell you who is doing the action. Both leio (I read) and trabalho (I work) end in -o, which is the typical ending for "I" in the present tense. You can include eu (I) for emphasis, but it is completely normal to leave it out.

Leio looks a bit different. What is the root verb?

The verb is ler (to read). It is slightly irregular for the "I" form, which is why it becomes leio. A regular verb like trabalhar (to work) just drops the ending and adds an -o, becoming trabalho.

I thought trabalho was a noun meaning a job or work. Can it be a verb too?

Yes! O trabalho means the job or the work. But here, trabalho is the "I" form of the verb trabalhar (to work). It is very common in Portuguese for the "I" form of a verb to look exactly the same as a related noun. The context tells us it is an action here.

The translation says "when I am not working", but isn't trabalho the simple present tense?

Exactly. In Portuguese, the simple present tense is often used for things happening right now, which we would say in English using "am doing" or "are doing". Quando não trabalho is a very natural way to express both "when I don't work" and "when I am not working".