Question 1

Why do we use têm descansado here instead of the simple past descansaram?

Accepted Answer

This sentence uses the Pretérito Perfeito Composto. In Portuguese, this tense specifically means an action started in the past and is still continuing right now. It actually translates closer to the English "have not been resting". If you used the simple past (não descansaram), it would mean the harvest and the lack of rest were already completely finished.

Question 2

Why does the helping verb têm have a circumflex accent (^) on it?

Accepted Answer

The accent shows that the verb is in the third-person plural form ("they have"), which matches Os agricultores. If the sentence were about a single farmer, you would use the singular form without the accent: O agricultor não tem descansado.

Question 3

Why doesn't descansado change to plural to match Os agricultores?

Accepted Answer

descansado is the past participle of the verb descansar (to rest). While past participles sometimes act like adjectives and change their endings, when they are paired with the helping verb ter to form this past tense, they never change. They always end in -o regardless of who is doing the action.

Question 4

Where does the noun colheita come from?

Accepted Answer

colheita (the harvest) is related to the verb colher, which means "to harvest", "to pick", or "to gather". Learning noun-verb pairs like this is a great way to expand your vocabulary at this level!

Os agricultores não têm descansado durante a colheita.

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