"Eu descanso."

Translation: I rest.

[PaolaIeie]

"I take a rest" is completely wrong?

[Scutigera]

Yes in that you are changing the verb to take and making rest a noun.

[ewalker]

descansar = to relax
can it also be this?

[vivisaurus]

Well, not really, since there is a specific word for "relax"; the word "relaxar".

Eu relaxo. :)

[gillian.dugay]

Can this be used in the sense of e.g. "I rest my case"?

[vivisaurus]

Hi nucleonide! Not really, because that is a specific English expression that we don't use in Portuguese. At least not that I know of. =)

[JoyceHilary]

More common English is I am resting. But that would be Estou cansando, would it not?

[Paulenrique]

Estou descansando. =)

[lesliewilman]

Apparently Eng speaking actors say "I'm resting" when the rest of us would say "I'm out of work"; is this the same in Brazil?

[vivisaurus]

Not that I've heard of. "I am out of work" as in "I am unemployed" translates to "Estou desempregado."

But is is possible that you meant another type of out of work. You can for example say "terei uma semana de descanso em maio" for example, to mean "I will have one week of rest in May" as in a break from work (with the intention of returning to it).