Eu já quero decidir antes de jantar.

I already want to decide before having dinner.

Breakdown of Eu já quero decidir antes de jantar.

• eu: I
• querer: to want
• jantar: to have dinner
• antes de: before
• decidir: to decide
• já: already

Questions & Answers about Eu já quero decidir antes de jantar.

Why is the word já used here, and can it appear in other positions in the sentence?

In Portuguese, já means already or now. It emphasizes that the speaker wants to make a decision before something else happens—and in this case, before dinner. You might also hear native speakers place já after the subject, saying something like Eu quero já decidir antes de jantar, though it’s less common. The meaning remains the same, but the original sentence is more natural.

Why do we use antes de jantar and not antes do jantar here?

In this context, jantar is functioning as a verb meaning “to have dinner” rather than a noun. Antes de is followed by the infinitive jantar. If you turned it into a noun phrase, then you would say antes do jantar (“before the dinner”). But because the sentence focuses on the action of eating dinner rather than referring to “the dinner” as a thing, antes de jantar is preferred.

How come we use the infinitive decidir here, rather than a conjugated form like decido?

Portuguese often uses the infinitive after expressions of wanting or needing (e.g., eu quero decidir, I want to decide). The verb quero (from querer) is already conjugated to match the subject eu (I), so the second verb typically remains in the infinitive form. This is a common structure in Portuguese, similar to English saying I want *to decide rather than I want I decide.

Could I leave out the eu and just say Já quero decidir antes de jantar?

Yes, you can often omit the subject pronoun in Portuguese because verbs usually carry enough information to identify the subject. In everyday speech, many Brazilians would naturally say Já quero decidir antes de jantar, and it sounds perfectly fine.

Is it correct to say Eu quero decidir antes de eu jantar instead of antes de jantar?

Technically, antes de eu jantar is grammatically possible, but it sounds more formal or overly explicit in most everyday contexts. Native speakers typically prefer the short form antes de jantar, because it’s understood that I will be the one who is going to eat dinner.