Depois da festa, ela percebeu que o lábio estava vermelho e o queixo sujo de molho.

Because de + a normally contracts in Portuguese:

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

So Depois da festa means After the party.

This kind of contraction is very common in Portuguese and sounds much more natural than keeping the words separate.

Depois de means after.

It is usually followed by:

• a noun: depois da festa = after the party
• an infinitive verb: depois de comer = after eating

In your sentence, festa is a noun, so depois de + a festa becomes depois da festa.

Here que introduces a new clause, like that in English:

• ela percebeu que...
• she noticed that...

So the structure is:

• ela percebeu = she noticed
• que o lábio estava vermelho... = that the lip was red...

In English, that is often optional, but in Portuguese que is very commonly kept.

Portuguese often uses the definite article with body parts where English prefers a possessive:

• o lábio = the lip
• o queixo = the chin

Because ela is already the subject, it is understood that these are her body parts.

This is very common in Portuguese:

• Ela lavou as mãos. = She washed her hands.
• Ele machucou o braço. = He hurt his arm.

Using seu lábio or seu queixo is possible in some contexts, but it is less natural here.

Portuguese can use either singular or plural depending on the exact idea.

• o lábio = the lip
• os lábios = the lips

This sentence specifically says the lip was red, so it focuses on one lip. If both lips were red, you could say:

• os lábios estavam vermelhos

English often uses lips more naturally in similar situations, but Portuguese can be more specific with the singular.

Because estar is used for a temporary state or condition.

• estava vermelho = was red, looked red, had become red
• era vermelho would suggest something more inherent or defining, like a permanent characteristic

Here the lip being red is just a temporary condition after the party, so estar is the natural choice.

Estava is the imperfect past of estar.

It fits well because the sentence is describing how things were at that moment when she noticed them:

• ela percebeu que o lábio estava vermelho...
• she noticed that her lip was red...

Compare:

• está vermelho = is red
• estava vermelho = was red
• ficou vermelho = became red / got red

Ficou vermelho would emphasize the change. Estava vermelho emphasizes the condition she observed.

No, Portuguese often avoids repeating the verb when the same verb applies to more than one phrase.

So:

• o lábio estava vermelho e o queixo sujo de molho

is short for:

• o lábio estava vermelho e o queixo estava sujo de molho

Both are grammatical, but the version without the repeated estava sounds smoother and more natural.

Because these adjectives agree with the nouns they describe, and both nouns are masculine singular:

• o lábio → masculine singular → vermelho
• o queixo → masculine singular → sujo

If the nouns were feminine, the adjectives would change:

• a boca vermelha
• a camisa suja

Agreement is a very important part of Portuguese grammar.

Sujo de means dirty with, stained with, or smeared with, depending on context.

So:

• o queixo sujo de molho = the chin dirty with sauce
• more natural English: the chin smeared with sauce or the chin stained with sauce

The structure is:

• sujo = dirty
• de molho = with sauce / from sauce

You can see the same pattern in other examples:

• sujo de tinta = dirty with paint
• sujo de terra = dirty with dirt
• sujo de chocolate = dirty with chocolate

Usually, yes. Molho is a general word for sauce.

Depending on context, it might refer to:

• pasta sauce
• meat sauce
• a condiment
• gravy-like sauce

In this sentence, it just means some kind of sauce that got on her chin.

E simply means and.

It links two descriptions:

• o lábio estava vermelho
• o queixo [estava] sujo de molho

So the sentence is saying she noticed two things:

1. the lip was red
2. the chin was dirty with sauce

Yes, you could say:

• Depois da festa, ela percebeu que seu lábio estava vermelho e seu queixo sujo de molho.

But this is less natural in many everyday contexts. Portuguese often prefers the article with body parts when the owner is already clear from the sentence.

So the original version sounds more idiomatic.

The original word order is very natural:

• Depois da festa, ela percebeu que o lábio estava vermelho e o queixo sujo de molho.

You could change parts of it for style or emphasis, for example:

• Ela percebeu, depois da festa, que o lábio estava vermelho e o queixo sujo de molho.

But the original is straightforward and common: time expression first, then the main clause.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• lábio ≈ LAH-byoo
• molho ≈ MO-lyoo

A few notes:

• The accent mark in lábio shows the stress is on the first syllable: LÁ
• In molho, the lh sound is like the lli in million for many English speakers, though not exactly the same

So:

• lábio → stress on LÁ
• molho → stress on MO

The accent mark in lábio shows where the stress falls:

• LÁ-bio

Without getting too technical, the accent helps indicate the correct pronunciation and stress pattern.

Portuguese uses written accents more regularly than English, so they are important to notice and learn.

Yes, in context vermelho can imply more than just color. With body parts, it often suggests redness from irritation, pressure, heat, embarrassment, or injury.

So o lábio estava vermelho could mean:

• the lip looked red
• the lip was irritated
• the lip was flushed or inflamed-looking

The exact nuance depends on the situation, but the basic meaning is still red.