Antes de sair, eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto.

Before leaving, I always brush my teeth and look in the mirror for a minute.

Breakdown of Antes de sair, eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto.

• eu: I
• e: and
• sempre: always
• sair: to leave
• por: for
• antes de: before
• no: in the
• o minuto: the minute
• olhar: to look
• um: one
• o espelho: the mirror
• escovar: to brush
• o dente: the tooth

Questions & Answers about Antes de sair, eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto.

Why is it antes de sair and not just antes sair?

Because after antes, Portuguese normally uses de + infinitive when the subject is general or the same as in the main clause.

So:

• antes de sair = before leaving / before I leave

This is a very common structure:

• antes de comer = before eating
• antes de dormir = before sleeping
• antes de estudar = before studying

If Portuguese uses a full conjugated clause instead, then you usually get antes que:

• Antes que eu saia... = Before I leave...

So in your sentence, antes de sair is the natural and standard choice.

Why is eu included? Couldn't Portuguese just say Antes de sair, sempre escovo os dentes...?

Yes, it could. Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

So both are natural:

• Antes de sair, eu sempre escovo os dentes...
• Antes de sair, sempre escovo os dentes...

Why include eu then? Usually for one of these reasons:

• clarity
• emphasis
• rhythm/style
• contrast

For example:

• Eu sempre escovo os dentes, mas meu irmão não.
  = I always brush my teeth, but my brother doesn’t.

In your sentence, eu is not required, but it sounds perfectly normal.

Why is sempre placed before escovo?

Sempre means always, and in Portuguese adverbs like this often appear before the verb.

So:

• eu sempre escovo os dentes = I always brush my teeth

This is the most neutral and common word order.

Other placements are possible, but they may sound less natural or more marked depending on context:

• Eu escovo sempre os dentes
• Eu escovo os dentes sempre

These are understandable, but eu sempre escovo os dentes is the most standard choice for a learner.

Why are the verbs escovo and olho used here?

They are both in the present tense, first person singular, because the speaker is saying what they habitually do.

• escovo comes from escovar = to brush
• olho comes from olhar = to look

So:

• eu escovo = I brush
• eu olho = I look

Even though the sentence refers to a routine, Portuguese normally uses the simple present for habitual actions:

• Eu sempre escovo os dentes. = I always brush my teeth.
• Eu olho no espelho. = I look in the mirror.

Is olho also a noun? How do I know it means I look here?

Yes. Olho can be:

• a noun: eye
• a verb form: I look

Context tells you which one it is.

In this sentence:

• eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho...

after e there is clearly another action, so olho must be the verb:

• and I look in the mirror

Compare:

• Meu olho dói. = My eye hurts.
• Eu olho no espelho. = I look in the mirror.

Why does Portuguese say os dentes instead of meus dentes?

Portuguese often uses the definite article with body parts when it is already obvious whose body part is being discussed.

So:

• escovo os dentes literally = I brush the teeth
  but naturally means = I brush my teeth

This is very common in Portuguese.

You can say meus dentes, but it usually sounds more emphatic, contrastive, or specific:

• Eu escovo os meus dentes, não os seus.
  = I brush my teeth, not yours.

In an ordinary routine sentence, escovo os dentes is the natural choice.

Why is it olho no espelho? What exactly is no?

No is a contraction of:

• em + o = no

So:

• no espelho = in the mirror or at the mirror, depending on context

Portuguese uses these contractions all the time:

• em + a = na
• em + os = nos
• em + as = nas

Examples:

• no carro = in the car
• na mesa = on the table / at the table
• nos livros = in the books
• nas casas = in the houses

So olho no espelho is literally something like I look in/at the mirror.

Why is it olho no espelho and not me olho no espelho?

Both can exist, but they mean slightly different things.

• olhar no espelho = to look in the mirror
• olhar-se no espelho / me olho no espelho = to look at oneself in the mirror

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, olho no espelho is very common and natural when the meaning is simply that someone looks in the mirror.

If you want to emphasize that the person is looking at their own reflection, you can say:

• eu me olho no espelho

So the sentence you have is idiomatic and normal. It does not sound incomplete.

Why is there a comma after Antes de sair?

Because Antes de sair is an introductory expression placed before the main clause.

The comma helps separate:

• the time expression: Antes de sair
• the main statement: eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto

This punctuation is very common and natural.

Without the comma, people would still understand it:

• Antes de sair eu sempre escovo os dentes...

But using the comma is better style here.

What does por um minuto mean exactly? Why use por?

Por um minuto means for one minute.

Here por expresses duration:

• por um minuto = for a minute
• por duas horas = for two hours
• por alguns segundos = for a few seconds

This is different from em, which often indicates the time needed to complete something:

• Faço isso em um minuto. = I do that in one minute.

So:

• olho no espelho por um minuto = I look in the mirror for one minute

That is the correct preposition for duration.

Could por um minuto also just mean for a moment, not literally sixty seconds?

Yes, depending on context, um minuto can sometimes be used loosely, just like a minute in English.

But in this sentence, the most direct reading is a real duration:

• I look in the mirror for a minute

If someone wanted to sound less literal, they might also say:

• por um instante = for a moment
• por um tempinho = for a little while

Still, por um minuto is completely normal and clear.

Is this sentence in the present tense even though it describes a routine?

Yes. In Portuguese, the simple present is very commonly used for habits and routines.

So:

• eu sempre escovo os dentes = I always brush my teeth
• olho no espelho = I look in the mirror

This works the same way as in English when English uses the present simple for habits.

If the speaker wanted to stress an ongoing action happening right now, Portuguese would usually use another structure, such as:

• estou escovando os dentes = I am brushing my teeth

But for routines, the simple present is exactly right.

Can the word order be changed?

Yes, but some versions sound more natural than others.

The original:

• Antes de sair, eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto.

is very natural.

You could also say:

• Eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho por um minuto antes de sair.

That is also correct, with the time expression moved to the end.

But if you move pieces around too much, the sentence may sound less natural or create unwanted emphasis. For a learner, the original order is a very good model:

• time expression first
• subject
• adverb
• verbs and complements

Could escovar os dentes be replaced by escovar meus dentes or escovo meus dentes?

It is grammatically possible, but it is usually not the most natural choice in an everyday sentence.

The normal expression is:

• escovar os dentes

because it is already obvious whose teeth they are.

Using meus dentes may sound:

• more emphatic
• more contrastive
• more specific than needed

So a native speaker would normally prefer:

• eu escovo os dentes

rather than:

• eu escovo meus dentes

unless there is a special reason to stress my.

Does e olho no espelho mean the subject is still eu?

Yes. In Portuguese, once the subject is established, it often does not need to be repeated.

So:

• eu sempre escovo os dentes e olho no espelho

means:

• I always brush my teeth and look in the mirror

The second verb, olho, still has the same subject: eu.

Portuguese does this very naturally in coordinated sentences:

• Eu acordo, tomo café e saio.
  = I wake up, have coffee, and leave.

There is no need to repeat eu before every verb.