Depois do café da manhã, eu sempre escovo os dentes.

Because de + o usually contracts to do in Portuguese.

• depois de = after
• o café da manhã = the breakfast

So:

• depois de o café da manhã → depois do café da manhã

This kind of contraction is very common:

• de + a = da
• de + o = do
• em + a = na
• em + o = no

In this sentence, do is just the normal contracted form.

Literally, café da manhã means something like morning coffee, but in actual usage it means breakfast.

Breakdown:

• café = coffee
• da manhã = of the morning

Even if someone does not drink coffee, café da manhã still means breakfast.

The comma separates the opening time phrase from the main clause.

• Depois do café da manhã = an introductory phrase
• eu sempre escovo os dentes = the main statement

In English, this is similar to writing:

• After breakfast, I always brush my teeth.

In Portuguese, that comma is very natural and common when a sentence starts with a longer introductory expression.

No. Portuguese often drops subject pronouns when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

So both are correct:

• Depois do café da manhã, eu sempre escovo os dentes.
• Depois do café da manhã, sempre escovo os dentes.

Why can eu be omitted? Because escovo already clearly means I brush.

Including eu can add:

• emphasis
• clarity
• contrast

For example, if you want to stress I do it, you might keep eu.

Sempre means always.

In this sentence:

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

Its placement is very natural: it comes before the main verb.

Common positions include:

• Eu sempre escovo os dentes.
• Sempre escovo os dentes.

Both are normal. The version in your sentence is especially common and neutral.

Escovo is the first person singular present tense of the verb escovar (to brush).

Conjugation of escovar in the present:

• eu escovo = I brush
• você escova = you brush
• ele/ela escova = he/she brushes
• nós escovamos = we brush
• vocês escovam = you all brush
• eles/elas escovam = they brush

So escovo matches eu.

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English may not.

So escovar os dentes is the normal way to say to brush your teeth.

Literally it is to brush the teeth, but in Portuguese that sounds completely natural and is the standard expression.

You will see the same pattern with body parts in many sentences:

• Lavo as mãos. = I wash my hands.
• Feche os olhos. = Close your eyes.
• Ele quebrou a perna. = He broke his leg.

Because the normal expression is brush your teeth, and teeth is plural.

• dente = tooth
• dentes = teeth

So:

• escovo os dentes = I brush my teeth

You could say escovo um dente only in a very specific context, like talking about brushing one particular tooth.

Because with body parts, Portuguese often prefers article + body part instead of a possessive.

So instead of saying I brush my teeth with a possessive, Portuguese usually says:

• escovo os dentes

This already implies the teeth belong to the subject, based on context.

You can say meus dentes, but it is less neutral and usually only used when you want emphasis, contrast, or clarification:

• Preciso cuidar melhor dos meus dentes. = I need to take better care of my teeth.

But for routine actions, escovar os dentes is the standard phrasing.

No. In standard Portuguese, escovar os dentes is normally not reflexive.

The natural form is:

• Eu escovo os dentes.

Not:

• Eu me escovo os dentes. ✘

This differs from some other verbs that are commonly reflexive in Portuguese. With escovar, when talking about teeth, you normally just use the verb directly plus the body part.

Yes, but in most everyday situations it simply means after breakfast in a general sense.

Portuguese often uses the definite article where English may not. So:

• depois do café da manhã usually just means after breakfast

If the context were very specific, it could also mean after the breakfast, but that is not how most learners should understand this sentence. In ordinary conversation, it is just the normal way to refer to breakfast.

Yes. Both can mean after breakfast.

• depois do café da manhã = very common, neutral, everyday
• após o café da manhã = also correct, sometimes a bit more formal or written

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, depois de is usually more common in casual speech.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• café ≈ kah-FEH
• da ≈ dah
• manhã ≈ ma-NYAH̃

A few notes:

• The stress in café is on the last syllable: ca-FÉ
• The nh in manhã sounds like the ny in canyon
• The final ã is nasal, so the vowel is said through the nose

A rough full approximation:

• kah-FEH dah ma-NYAH̃

Yes, to some extent. Portuguese allows some flexibility, but some orders sound more natural than others.

Very natural:

• Depois do café da manhã, eu sempre escovo os dentes.
• Eu sempre escovo os dentes depois do café da manhã.
• Sempre escovo os dentes depois do café da manhã.

All of these work. The original sentence sounds very natural and emphasizes the time phrase first.

Yes. In Portuguese, the simple present is commonly used for habitual actions.

So:

• eu escovo os dentes can mean I brush my teeth
• In context, especially with sempre, it clearly means a repeated habit: I always brush my teeth

This is similar to English, where the simple present is also used for routines and habits.