Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.

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Questions & Answers about Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.

Why is eu included here? Can Portuguese leave it out?

Yes. In Brazilian Portuguese, subject pronouns are often optional because the verb form usually shows who is doing the action.

So both of these are natural:

  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.
  • Hoje vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.

Adding eu can give a little extra emphasis or clarity, especially in conversation, but it is not required.


What does vou tirar mean grammatically?

Vou tirar is the structure ir + infinitive, which is one of the most common ways to talk about the near future in Brazilian Portuguese.

  • vou = I go / I am going
  • tirar = infinitive, to take out / remove

Together, vou tirar means I’m going to take out.

This is very common in speech. Portuguese also has a simple future form, such as tirarei, but in everyday Brazilian Portuguese, vou tirar is much more common and natural.


Why does tirar o lixo mean take out the trash?

Because tirar often means to remove, to take out, or to take away, depending on context.

So:

  • tirar = to remove / take out
  • o lixo = the trash / garbage

In a household context, tirar o lixo is the normal way to say take out the trash.

It does not have to mean literally picking it up with your hands; it means removing it from the house or room and taking it to where it should go.


Why is it o lixo and not just lixo?

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English would not.

So o lixo literally looks like the trash, but in natural English we often just say trash in this situation.

In Portuguese, tirar o lixo is the standard expression. Saying just tirar lixo would sound incomplete or unnatural in most everyday situations.


Why is hoje at the beginning? Could it go somewhere else?

Yes, hoje can move around. Putting it at the beginning is very common because it sets the time right away:

  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.

You could also say:

  • Eu vou tirar o lixo hoje antes de sair.
  • Eu vou hoje tirar o lixo antes de sair.
    This is possible, but less neutral.

The version with hoje at the start sounds very natural and clear.


How does antes de sair work?

Antes de means before when followed by a noun or an infinitive.

Here it is followed by the infinitive sair:

  • antes de sair = before leaving / before I leave

This is a very common Portuguese pattern:

  • antes de dormir = before sleeping
  • antes de comer = before eating
  • antes de viajar = before traveling

So antes de sair is a completely normal and useful structure to learn.


Why doesn’t sair have a subject, like eu sair?

Because the subject is understood from the context. In this sentence, the person who will take out the trash is also the person who will leave, so Portuguese can simply use the infinitive:

  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.

The understood meaning is:

  • ...before I leave

Portuguese often does this when the subject of both actions is the same.


Could I say antes de eu sair instead?

Yes, you can.

  • antes de sair
  • antes de eu sair

Both are possible. The shorter version, antes de sair, is very natural when the subject is already obvious.
The version with eu, antes de eu sair, sounds more explicit and can add emphasis or clarity.

So:

  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair.
    Very natural, simple, common.
  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de eu sair.
    Also correct, but a bit more explicit.

What exactly does sair mean here?

Sair generally means to leave, to go out, or to go away, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most likely means to leave the house / leave home. Portuguese often does not state de casa if it is already obvious.

So this sentence naturally suggests:

  • Today I’m going to take out the trash before leaving the house.

If you wanted to be more explicit, you could say:

  • Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair de casa.

Is tirar o lixo the only way to say this in Brazilian Portuguese?

No, but it is one of the most common and standard ways.

Other possible expressions include:

  • levar o lixo para fora = take the trash outside
  • botar o lixo pra fora = put the trash outside
  • jogar o lixo fora = throw the trash away

Still, tirar o lixo is a very good everyday phrase to learn because it is common, neutral, and widely understood.


Is there anything irregular or tricky about sair?

The infinitive sair itself is straightforward, but some of its conjugated forms are a little less predictable for learners.

For example:

  • eu saio = I leave / I go out
  • ele sai = he leaves / he goes out
  • nós saímos = we leave / we go out

In your sentence, though, you only need the infinitive sair, so there is nothing unusual there. The sentence uses the simplest form.


How natural is this whole sentence in Brazilian Portuguese?

It is very natural.

Hoje eu vou tirar o lixo antes de sair. sounds like normal everyday Brazilian Portuguese. It uses:

  • a common time expression: hoje
  • a very common future structure: vou + infinitive
  • a standard everyday phrase: tirar o lixo
  • a common linking structure: antes de + infinitive

So this is exactly the kind of sentence a Brazilian speaker might say in daily life.