Breakdown of O quarto tem um terraço luminoso, atrás do qual está o jardim.
ter
to have
um
a / an / some (all forms)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
o quarto
the bedroom / the room
o jardim
the garden
atrás de
behind
o terraço
the terrace
luminoso
bright
o qual
which / who (m.sg)
Questions & Answers about O quarto tem um terraço luminoso, atrás do qual está o jardim.
Why do we use do qual here instead of just que?
After multi-syllable prepositions like atrás, Portuguese requires us to use the relative pronoun o qual (or a qual, etc.) instead of the simpler que. Because 'behind' is atrás de, the preposition de combines with o qual to form do qual.
How do I know whether to use do qual, da qual, dos quais, or das quais in this sentence?
The relative pronoun has to match the gender and number of the noun it refers back to. Here, 'which' refers to the terrace (um terraço), which is masculine singular, so we use o qual (combined with de to make do qual). If it were a balcony (uma varanda), we would use da qual.
Why is the verb estar (está) used for the garden? Isn't a garden permanent?
Yes, but European Portuguese uses estar to describe the physical location of objects, buildings, and places, regardless of whether they are permanent or temporary. Therefore, we use está to state where the garden is situated.
Is it wrong to say atrás do qual o jardim está?
It is not strictly wrong, but in Portuguese relative clauses (the part of the sentence introduced by 'which' or 'who'), it is much more natural to put the verb before the subject. Saying está o jardim flows much better than o jardim está.
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