Breakdown of Antes de desligar a luz da sala, não te esqueças de calçar os teus sapatos.
de
of
não
not
antes de
before
a sala
the room
te
you
teu
your
o sapato
the shoe
desligar
to turn off
a luz
the light
esquecer de
to forget
calçar
to put on
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Questions & Answers about Antes de desligar a luz da sala, não te esqueças de calçar os teus sapatos.
What does antes de mean, and why is it followed by an infinitive?
Antes de means "before" in English. In Portuguese, when expressing that one action should occur prior to another, antes de is followed by an infinitive verb (here, desligar) to clearly establish the sequence of events.
Why is the reflexive pronoun te used in não te esqueças, and what type of command is this?
The pronoun te refers to the informal second-person singular ("you") and is used because the verb esquecer is reflexive in this context. In European Portuguese, when forming negative commands, the reflexive pronoun is placed before the verb, and the verb is conjugated in the present subjunctive, resulting in não te esqueças meaning "don't forget."
What does the verb calçar mean in this sentence, and is it used exclusively for shoes?
In this sentence, calçar specifically means "to put on" when referring to footwear. While it is most commonly used for shoes (or similar items like boots), its primary use is indeed to indicate the action of putting on something you wear on your feet.
Why does the sentence use os teus sapatos instead of just teus sapatos?
In Portuguese, possessive adjectives are typically preceded by a definite article. Os teus sapatos literally translates as "your shoes," with os serving as the definite article. This structure is standard in European Portuguese and emphasizes that the shoes belong specifically to the person being addressed.
How do the clauses of the sentence relate in terms of the order of actions?
The sentence sets a clear sequence: it instructs you to put on your shoes before turning off the living room light. The introductory phrase antes de desligar a luz da sala ("before turning off the living room light") establishes the timeframe in which the main command não te esqueças de calçar os teus sapatos ("don’t forget to put on your shoes") should be carried out.