O pano está molhado, mas ainda tira a poeira da janela.

O pano means the cloth, while um pano means a cloth.

Using o suggests the speaker is talking about a specific cloth that is already known in the situation. Portuguese often uses the definite article very naturally when the object is identifiable from context.

Portuguese uses estar for a state or condition, especially a temporary one, and ser for more permanent characteristics.

So:

• está molhado = is wet right now
• é molhado would sound like is wet by nature or is a wet type of thing, which does not fit here

Because the cloth is only wet at the moment, estar is the correct verb.

Because pano is a masculine singular noun, the adjective has to agree with it:

• o pano molhado
• a toalha molhada

So molhado matches pano in gender and number.

The subject is understood to still be o pano.

Portuguese often omits the subject when it is clear from context. So this sentence works like:

• O pano está molhado, mas ainda tira a poeira da janela.
• Literally: The cloth is wet, but still removes the dust from the window.

In natural English, we repeat it, but Portuguese often does not need to repeat the noun or pronoun.

Here ainda means still.

So the idea is:

• the cloth is wet
• but it still works
• it still removes the dust

In other contexts, ainda can also mean yet, even, or still not finished with something, depending on the sentence.

The verb tirar basically means to take, to remove, to pull out, or to get off, depending on context.

Here, tirar a poeira means to remove the dust.

So tirar is not only take in the English sense. It is a very flexible verb in Portuguese and often means remove.

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things.

• tirar a poeira da janela = remove the dust from the window
• limpar a janela = clean the window

The first expression emphasizes the dust being removed. The second is more general and emphasizes the cleaning action as a whole.

Portuguese often uses definite articles more often than English does.

Here, a poeira refers to the dust on that window, or dust understood in the situation. Even when English might simply say dust, Portuguese often prefers a poeira.

Also, poeira is a feminine singular noun, which is why the article is a.

Because poeira is usually treated as an uncountable noun, like dust in English.

So:

• a poeira = the dust

Using the plural poeiras is uncommon in normal everyday contexts and would usually suggest different kinds of dust or a more specialized meaning.

Because da is the contraction of de + a.

So:

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

In this sentence, da janela means from the window or off the window.

Usually janela means the window as a whole. In a sentence about dust, it often naturally suggests the surface being cleaned, especially the glass, but the word itself is still just window.

If someone specifically wanted to say windowpane or glass, they might use a more specific word depending on the situation.

In Brazilian Portuguese, lh is a special sound, similar to the lli in some pronunciations of million, though not exactly the same in every accent.

So molhado sounds roughly like:

• mo-LYA-do

The stress is on lha.

That lh sound is very common in Portuguese, so it is worth practicing early.