Breakdown of Ela limpa o balcão depois do almoço.
ela
she
depois de
after
limpar
to clean
o almoço
the lunch
o balcão
the counter
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Questions & Answers about Ela limpa o balcão depois do almoço.
What exactly does balcão mean in this sentence?
In European Portuguese, balcão usually refers to a “counter” or “bar counter”—for example, the surface where you place dishes in a café or the raised edge in a kitchen. In domestic contexts you might also hear bancada for a kitchen worktop, but balcão is perfectly normal.
Why is there an o before balcão?
Portuguese typically requires a definite article before nouns when you talk about something specific or in a general sense. Since balcão is masculine, you use o balcão (“the counter”). In English you sometimes drop “the,” but in Portuguese the article stays.
Why is ela included? Can we leave it out?
Portuguese verbs carry information about person and number, so the subject pronoun is often optional. You could say Limpa o balcão depois do almoço and still mean “she cleans the counter after lunch.” Including ela adds clarity or emphasis, but it’s not mandatory.
Why do we say depois do almoço instead of depois de almoço?
Almoço is a masculine noun that needs its definite article o. When you combine de + o, you get the contraction do. So depois do almoço literally means “after the lunch.” Omitting the article (depois de almoço) sounds ungrammatical in Portuguese.
Could we rephrase this using an infinitive, like “after eating lunch”?
Yes. You can say Ela limpa o balcão depois de almoçar. Here almoçar (to have lunch) is in the infinitive, forming a subordinate clause. It conveys the same idea: “She cleans the counter after (she) eats lunch.”
What tense is limpa, and why is it used here?
Limpa is the third-person singular of limpar in the present indicative. It agrees with ela (“she”). In Portuguese you always conjugate the verb to match the subject’s person and number.
Are there other ways to say “after lunch” in Portuguese?
Yes. Common alternatives include:
- após o almoço (using após instead of depois de)
- depois de termos almoçado (“after we have eaten lunch,” more formal)
- mais tarde (“later,” more vague)
But depois do almoço is the most straightforward and widely used.