Depois que a máquina terminar, eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão.

Because Portuguese normally uses the future subjunctive after time expressions like depois que, quando, assim que, and logo que when the action is still in the future.

So:

• Depois que a máquina terminar = After the machine finishes
• not Depois que a máquina termina in this context
• not usually Depois que a máquina terminará

A helpful point: for regular -ar verbs, the future subjunctive often looks identical to the infinitive, so terminar here is not just an infinitive form in function.

Compare:

• Quando ele chegar, eu saio. = When he arrives, I’ll leave.
• Depois que a máquina terminar, eu vou enxaguar...

Both can express the future, but eu vou enxaguar is much more common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.

• eu vou enxaguar = very natural in speech
• enxaguarei = grammatically correct, but more formal or less common in conversation

So a Brazilian speaker will often prefer:

• Eu vou lavar
• Eu vou ligar
• Eu vou enxaguar

instead of:

• Lavarei
• Ligarei
• Enxaguarei

Yes. Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

So both are natural:

• Depois que a máquina terminar, eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão.
• Depois que a máquina terminar, vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão.

Including eu may add a little emphasis or clarity, but it is not required.

In context, a máquina most naturally means the washing machine.

Portuguese often leaves out extra words when the context is obvious. So instead of saying a máquina de lavar roupa, a speaker may simply say a máquina.

For example:

• A máquina já terminou? = Has the washing machine finished yet?
• Vou colocar na máquina. = I’m going to put it in the washing machine.

Yes, they are different.

• lavar = to wash
• enxaguar = to rinse

So in this sentence, the washing is already being done by the machine, and afterward the speaker will rinse the delicate items by hand.

This verb can be a little tricky because it is not one of the first laundry verbs learners usually meet, but it is very common in household contexts.

Peças delicadas literally means delicate pieces/items, and in clothing contexts it refers to delicate garments or delicate items of clothing.

It is a common way to talk about individual clothing items:

• peça de roupa = item of clothing
• peças delicadas = delicate garments

You could also say roupas delicadas, which is perfectly natural and slightly more straightforward for learners. But peças delicadas sounds very idiomatic, especially in clothing and laundry contexts.

Because adjectives in Portuguese agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

Here:

• peças is feminine plural
• so the adjective must also be feminine plural: delicadas

Compare:

• a peça delicada = the delicate item
• as peças delicadas = the delicate items
• o tecido delicado = the delicate fabric
• os tecidos delicados = the delicate fabrics

Because à here is the contraction of:

• the preposition a
• plus the feminine singular article a

This is called crase.

So:

• a + a = à

The expression à mão means by hand or by hand manually, and it is a fixed, very common expression.

Other similar examples:

• à noite = at night
• à esquerda = to the left
• à moda brasileira = Brazilian-style

Because à mão is the normal idiomatic way to say by hand in Portuguese.

• lavar à mão = to wash by hand
• fazer à mão = to make by hand
• escrever à mão = to write by hand

Com a mão literally means with the hand and usually focuses more on the body part or physical action, not the method in contrast with a machine.

So:

• Vou lavar à mão. = I’m going to wash it by hand.
• Ele pegou o copo com a mão. = He picked up the cup with his hand.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate time clause:

• Depois que a máquina terminar = subordinate clause
• eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão = main clause

When this kind of clause comes first, Portuguese normally uses a comma before the main clause.

If you reverse the order, the comma is often unnecessary:

• Eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão depois que a máquina terminar.

Both orders are natural, but the original version sounds very organized and clear.

Depois de a máquina terminar is grammatically possible, but it is less common and sounds more formal or careful in this kind of sentence.

The most natural choice here is:

• Depois que a máquina terminar...

You may also hear:

• Depois da máquina terminar...

but this is more colloquial and may be avoided in more careful writing, since it comes from depois de a contracting into da.

For a learner, the safest and most natural pattern here is:

• depois que + future subjunctive

Yes, somewhat. Portuguese allows a few natural variations:

• Depois que a máquina terminar, eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão.
• Depois que a máquina terminar, vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão.
• Eu vou enxaguar as peças delicadas à mão depois que a máquina terminar.

The meaning stays basically the same. Starting with Depois que... puts more focus on the timing: first the machine finishes, then the speaker rinses the items.

It looks unusual because the spelling enx- is not very transparent for English speakers.

In Brazilian Portuguese, enxaguar is pronounced approximately like:

• en-sha-GWAR or en-sha-GWAR

The x here sounds like sh. The final guar sounds something like gwar.

A rough breakdown:

• enxa → en-sha
• guar → gwar

The exact pronunciation varies a little by region, but the main thing to remember is that x here sounds like sh.