O dueto começa depois do solo.

Because do is the normal contraction of de + o in Portuguese.

• de
  • o = do
• So depois do solo literally comes from depois de o solo

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese:

• de + a = da
• de + os = dos
• de + as = das

So depois do solo is the natural form.

Because when depois is followed by a noun, Portuguese normally uses the structure depois de.

So:

• depois do solo = after the solo
• underlying structure: depois de o solo

You can think of depois de as a fixed expression meaning after when something comes next.

Examples:

• depois do concerto
• depois da aula
• depois do jantar

O is the masculine singular definite article, meaning the.

In Portuguese, articles are often used more regularly than in English. So where English says the duet, Portuguese says o dueto.

Here, dueto is a masculine noun, so it takes o:

• o dueto
• o solo

If the noun were feminine, you would use a instead.

Yes, dueto is masculine, which is why the sentence uses o dueto.

A useful clue is the ending -o, which is often masculine in Portuguese, though not always. In this case:

• dueto → masculine
• solo → masculine

So the sentence uses:

• o dueto
• do solo = de + o solo

Começa is the present indicative form of the verb começar.

Conjugation:

• eu começo
• você/ele/ela começa
• nós começamos
• vocês/eles/elas começam

In this sentence, o dueto is third-person singular, so the verb is começa.

The present tense in Portuguese can describe:

• something happening now
• a habitual fact
• sometimes even a scheduled future event, depending on context

The ç is called cedilha. It shows that the c is pronounced like s before a, o, or u.

So:

• começa is pronounced with an s sound in the middle
• without the cedilla, c before a would sound like k

Compare:

• começa → ko-MEH-sa
• a plain ca sound would be different

The cedilla only appears before a, o, and u.

A simple approximation is:

oo doo-EH-too ko-MEH-sa deh-POYZ do SOH-loo

A few pronunciation notes:

• dueto usually has three syllables: du-e-to
• começa is stressed on me
• depois in Brazil often sounds like deh-POYZ
• solo is stressed on the first syllable: SO-lo

This is only an approximation for English speakers, but it helps as a starting point.

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but começa is usually the more natural everyday choice.

• começar = to begin, to start
• iniciar = to initiate, to begin

Both can work, but começar is generally more common in normal speech for something like a musical performance.

So:

• O dueto começa depois do solo sounds very natural
• O dueto inicia depois do solo is possible, but a bit less common in everyday use

Yes, but O dueto começa depois do solo is the most neutral and natural word order.

This is the standard pattern:

• subject: O dueto
• verb: começa
• time/order phrase: depois do solo

Other word orders may be possible in special contexts for emphasis, but they are less neutral. For learners, the standard order is the best one to use.

Both relate to two performers, but they are not always used in exactly the same way.

• dueto often refers to a piece or performance for two voices or instruments
• duo often refers to the pair of performers themselves

For example:

• um dueto can be a duet as a musical number
• um duo can be a musical duo, meaning the two-person group

In this sentence, dueto fits well because it refers naturally to the musical passage or performance section.

Portuguese usually expresses this idea with depois de.

English has a single common preposition, after, but Portuguese often uses a two-part expression:

• depois de

There is also após, which can mean after, but it often sounds more formal or written.

So for everyday Portuguese, depois do solo is the most natural choice.

In this sentence, yes, solo is understood as a musical solo because of the context with dueto.

The word solo can have different meanings in different contexts, but with musical vocabulary like this, learners should understand it as a solo performance or solo section.

So the sentence naturally suggests a musical sequence:

• first the solo
• then the dueto