Verdes São Os Campos

This is a song by Zeca Afonso and Lyrics by Luís de Camões. Find another song by Zeca Afonso here.

🎶 Lyrics

Verdes são os campos Green are the fields Da cor de limão Of the colour of lemonAssim são os olhos So are the eyes Do meu coração Of my heart

Campo, que te estendes Field, that stretches outCom verdura bela With beautiful greennessOvelhas, que nela Sheep, which in it Vosso pasto tendes You have your pastureDe ervas vos mantendes Of grass you sustain yourselvesQue traz o verão That the summer bringsE eu das lembranças And me of the recollectionsDo meu coração Of my heart

Isso que comeis That which you eat Não são ervas não Are not herbs noSão graças dos olhos They are graces from the eyes Do meu coração Of my heart

🔍 Words in this song

Here, the reflexive verb ‘estender-se’ means to stretch [oneself], to extend [oneself], referring to something extending or stretching over an area.

It is conjugated in the present for the 2nd person singular: ‘[tu] estendes-te.’Here, the reflexive pronoun ‘te’ (yourself) is placed before the verb because of the preceding word ‘que’ (that): ‘ que te estendes.’

As a reflexive verb ‘estender-se’ is also used meaning:

To lie down, on the ground or a surface:

• 🏖️ Ele estendeu-se na toalha para descansar. (He lay down on the towel to rest.)

To be wide-ranging, all-encompassing:

• ⚖️ Esta lei estende-se a todos os cidadãos. (This law extends/applies to all citizens.)

The non-reflexive form ‘estender’ has various meanings depending on the context. Here are some examples of its use:

To hang out (clothes): Used when referring to hanging wet clothes to dry.

• 🧦 Ela estendeu a roupa no varal. (She hung the clothes on the line.)

To extend, to prolong, to stretch: Used to mean to make something longer or more ample.