Word
Antes do jantar, passo a escova pelo cabelo e lavo as mãos.
Meaning
Before dinner, I run the brush through my hair and wash my hands.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Lesson
Breakdown of Antes do jantar, passo a escova pelo cabelo e lavo as mãos.
eu
I
o jantar
the dinner
e
and
antes de
before
Questions & Answers about Antes do jantar, passo a escova pelo cabelo e lavo as mãos.
What does passo a escova pelo cabelo literally mean, and how is it different from saying escovo o cabelo?
Literally, passo a escova pelo cabelo means “I pass the brush through my hair.”
- passo = “I pass”
- a escova = “the brush”
- pelo cabelo = “through the hair” (see next question for pelo)
By contrast, escovo o cabelo uses the verb escovar (“to brush”), so it means “I brush my hair.”
- passar a escova pelo cabelo focuses on the action of moving the brush through the hair, often emphasizing the instrument.
- escovar o cabelo is more direct, treating brushing as a single action. Both are correct and commonly heard in Portugal.
Why is it antes do jantar with do, and could I say antes de jantar instead?
- antes do jantar = “before dinner,” where do is the contraction of de + o (the definite article).
- Using antes de jantar (“before having dinner”) is also acceptable and very common, especially in spoken Portuguese.
Nuance:
• antes do jantar often refers to a specific meal (e.g., “the dinner we always have at 8 pm”).
• antes de jantar is more general and slightly more abstract (“before eating dinner”).
What’s happening in pelo cabelo?