Eu ligo a máquina de lavar antes de sair de casa.

I turn on the washing machine before leaving home.

Breakdown of Eu ligo a máquina de lavar antes de sair de casa.

• eu: I
• a casa: the house
• antes de: before
• ligar: to turn on
• a máquina de lavar: the washing machine
• sair de: to leave

Questions & Answers about Eu ligo a máquina de lavar antes de sair de casa.

What does ligar mean in this sentence, and why is it followed by a?

Here ligar means “to switch on” (an electrical appliance). In European Portuguese you normally say ligar a + [device], for example ligar a luz, ligar a televisão, ligar a máquina. The a is a required preposition in this usage, not the definite article alone.

Why is the subject pronoun eu included? Do I always need it?

Portuguese verbs are conjugated for person, so eu ligo already tells you the subject (“I”). The pronoun eu is therefore optional and often omitted in speech or informal writing:

• Eu ligo a máquina…
• Ligo a máquina…
  You include eu only for emphasis or clarity, or if you want to contrast “I” with someone else.

What exactly is máquina de lavar? Could I say something else?

máquina de lavar is a compound noun built as [máquina] + de + [infinitive] to show purpose: “machine for washing.” More fully you can specify máquina de lavar roupa (“washing machine”). In everyday speech, máquina de lavar is perfectly clear in context.

Why is it antes de sair and not just antes sair?

To say “before doing something” with an infinitive, you must use the preposition de:

• antes de
  • [infinitive]
    So antes de sair = “before leaving.” Without de, it isn’t grammatically correct.

Why do we say sair de casa and not sair da casa or just sair casa?

1. sair de means “to leave/from” – it marks origin or separation.
2. casa used without an article after sair de becomes a fixed expression meaning “home.”
3. sair da casa (de + a → da) would literally be “leave from the house,” focusing on a particular building rather than “home” in general.
   So sair de casa = “to leave home.”

Could I use antes que instead of antes de?

Yes, but only in full clauses and with the subjunctive:

• Antes que eu saia de casa, vou ligar a máquina de lavar.
  Here antes que
  • subjunctive (saia) is acceptable, especially if you want to stress “before I leave.” However, for a simple sequence with the same subject, Europeans almost always prefer antes de
    • infinitive.

What tense is ligo, and can it refer to the future?

ligo is the present indicative (1st person singular). In Portuguese the simple present can describe:

• a habitual action (I always turn it on before I leave)
• a planned near-future action (I’ll turn it on before I go out)
  Context tells you which one. Here it could be either a routine or a promise of what you’ll do next.

Can I put the time expression at the start? For example, Antes de sair de casa, eu ligo a máquina de lavar?

Absolutely. You can front the adverbial phrase without changing meaning:

• Antes de sair de casa, eu ligo a máquina de lavar.
  The sentence remains correct; you’ve just put the time clause first for emphasis or style.