Breakdown of O ferro está quente depois de passar a camisa.
estar
to be
depois de
after
quente
hot
a camisa
the shirt
o ferro
the iron
passar
to iron
Questions & Answers about O ferro está quente depois de passar a camisa.
What does ferro refer to in this sentence?
In European Portuguese, ferro here means “clothes iron,” the handheld appliance you use to press garments.
Why is there a definite article before ferro (i.e. o ferro)?
Portuguese usually places a definite article before a noun when talking about a specific object. Even if English sometimes omits “the,” in Portuguese you say o ferro (“the iron”) to make it clear you mean that particular iron.
Why do we use estar quente instead of ser quente?
Portuguese distinguishes between ser and estar:
- ser describes permanent or inherent traits.
- estar describes temporary states or conditions.
Since heat is a temporary condition, we use estar quente (“is hot right now”).
Why is it depois de passar a camisa and not depois passei a camisa?
After prepositions like depois de, you must follow with:
1) an infinitive (passar)
2) a noun
You cannot use a conjugated verb directly. So:
- Correct: depois de passar a camisa
- Incorrect: depois passei a camisa
If you want a conjugated verb you can switch to depois que:
- Depois que passei a camisa...
Can we replace depois de with após here?
Yes. após also means “after” and can take an infinitive directly:
- O ferro está quente após passar a camisa.
However, depois de is more common in everyday speech; após sounds a bit more formal.
What’s the difference between passar a camisa and engomar a camisa?
Both mean “to iron a shirt,” but:
- passar (a ferro) is the everyday, most common term.
- engomar is more formal or technical and is also frequently used in European Portuguese.
Is it acceptable to move depois de passar a camisa to the start of the sentence?
Yes! You can front the time phrase for emphasis:
- Depois de passar a camisa, o ferro está quente.
The sequence remains clear; you’re just highlighting the order of events.
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