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Depois do jantar, eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.

Depois do jantar, eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.
After dinner, I put away the pot and put the trash in the trash can.
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Questions & Answers about Depois do jantar, eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.

Why is it depois do jantar and not depois jantar?

Because depois normally takes the preposition de.

So the full structure is:

  • depois de + noun

Here, o jantar means the dinner / dinner, so:

  • depois de o jantar becomes depois do jantar

That contraction happens because:

  • de + o = do

So depois do jantar literally comes from after of-the dinner, but in natural English it is just after dinner.

What exactly is do in depois do jantar?

Do is a contraction of:

  • de + o = do

Here:

  • de = of / from, but after depois it is just part of the required grammar
  • o = the
  • jantar = dinner

So do jantar means of the dinner, though in English we simply say after dinner.

This kind of contraction is extremely common in Portuguese.

Is jantar a verb or a noun here?

Here, jantar is a noun, meaning dinner.

You can tell because it appears in the phrase do jantar, where o is the masculine article the.

Compare:

  • jantar as a verb = to have dinner / to dine
  • o jantar as a noun = dinner / the dinner

So in this sentence, depois do jantar means after dinner.

Why is there a comma after Depois do jantar?

The comma separates the introductory time expression from the main part of the sentence.

So:

  • Depois do jantar, = After dinner,
  • eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira. = the main statement

This is very similar to English punctuation. The comma is natural and common here.

Why does the sentence say eu guardo? I thought Portuguese often drops subject pronouns.

That is true: Portuguese often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

So both of these are possible:

  • Eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.
  • Guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.

Both mean the same thing here.

Why include eu then?

Common reasons are:

  • clarity
  • emphasis
  • contrast
  • personal style

Since guardo and coloco already clearly mean I do, eu is optional in this sentence.

Why are guardo and coloco in the present tense? Wouldn’t English often say I put away or I throw away?

In Portuguese, the simple present is very commonly used for:

  • habits
  • routines
  • general actions

So this sentence can describe a regular routine:

  • Depois do jantar, eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.
  • After dinner, I put away the pan and put the trash in the trash can.
  • or more naturally, After dinner, I usually put away the pan and take the trash to the trash can.

Portuguese often uses the plain present where English might use:

  • I usually...
  • I tend to...
  • I do this after dinner...
What does guardar mean here? Is it just to keep?

Guardar has several related meanings, including:

  • to keep
  • to store
  • to put away
  • to save

In this sentence, guardo a panela most naturally means:

  • I put away the pan
  • I store the pan away

It is not just I keep the pan in the abstract. It suggests putting it back where it belongs after using it.

What is the difference between guardar and colocar in this sentence?

They are both action verbs, but they are used differently.

  • guardar = to put away / store
  • colocar = to put / place

So:

  • guardo a panela = I put away the pan
  • coloco o lixo na lixeira = I put the trash in the trash can

Using two different verbs sounds natural because the actions are different:

  • a pan gets put away
  • trash gets placed / thrown into the trash can
What is the difference between lixo and lixeira?

They are different nouns:

  • lixo = trash / garbage
  • lixeira = trash can / garbage bin

So:

  • coloco o lixo na lixeira = I put the trash in the trash can

A useful way to remember it:

  • lixo = the waste itself
  • lixeira = the container for the waste
What does na lixeira mean exactly?

Na is a contraction of:

  • em + a = na

Here:

  • em = in / on / at
  • a = the
  • lixeira = trash can

So:

  • na lixeira = in the trash can

This is another very common Portuguese contraction.

Why does Portuguese use articles in a panela and o lixo? In English we sometimes leave them out.

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English does.

So Portuguese naturally says:

  • a panela
  • o lixo
  • na lixeira

Even where English might say something more general like:

  • put away the pan
  • take out trash
  • put trash in the trash can

In Portuguese, using the article with everyday concrete nouns is very normal.

Does panela really mean pan?

It can, but in Brazilian Portuguese panela often refers more specifically to a:

  • pot
  • cooking pot
  • saucepan

Depending on context, English translations may use pan or pot.

So guardo a panela could also be understood as:

  • I put away the pot

If a learner expects frying pan, that is often frigideira.

Why is a panela singular? Could it be plural?

Yes, it could be plural if that is what you mean.

In this sentence, singular a panela suggests:

  • one specific pan/pot
  • or one pan/pot as the relevant item in the situation

If you meant more than one, you would say:

  • guardo as panelas = I put away the pans/pots

So the singular is not a special grammar point here; it just reflects the situation being described.

Why doesn’t the sentence repeat eu before coloco?

Because the same subject continues across both verbs.

So:

  • eu guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira

means:

  • I put away the pan and put the trash in the trash can

Once eu is established, Portuguese does not need to repeat it before the second verb unless there is some special emphasis.

You could say eu guardo a panela e eu coloco o lixo na lixeira, but that would usually sound more emphatic than necessary.

Could I say this sentence without eu?

Yes. In natural Portuguese, that is very common:

  • Depois do jantar, guardo a panela e coloco o lixo na lixeira.

This still clearly means I because:

  • guardo is first person singular
  • coloco is also first person singular

Brazilian Portuguese often keeps subject pronouns more than European Portuguese does, but leaving eu out here is still perfectly normal.