Breakdown of Antes de sair, a Ana espalha protetor solar nos braços e na cara do filho.
Questions & Answers about Antes de sair, a Ana espalha protetor solar nos braços e na cara do filho.
In Portuguese, antes de is the normal way to say before followed by a verb in the infinitive:
- antes de sair = before leaving
- antes de comer = before eating
You must include de before an infinitive here; antes sair is wrong.
If you want a full clause with a conjugated verb, you use antes de que (more formal / written) or just antes que in some varieties:
- antes de que ela saia / antes que ela saia = before she leaves
In this sentence, because it’s just before leaving (no explicit subject), the infinitive sair with antes de is the natural choice.
By itself, Antes de sair doesn’t specify who is leaving; it is understood from context.
Here, because the main clause is a Ana espalha protetor solar no filho, the most natural interpretation is:
- Ana (and probably the son with her) are about to go out, so Antes de sair refers to before they go out.
If you need to be explicit, Portuguese can use the infinitivo pessoal (personal infinitive):
- Antes de sairmos, a Ana espalha protetor solar…
Before we leave, Ana spreads sunscreen… - Antes de o filho sair, a Ana espalha protetor solar…
Before the son leaves, Ana spreads sunscreen…
So the simple Antes de sair is context‑dependent but perfectly normal.
In European Portuguese, it’s very common to use the definite article before a person’s first name in everyday speech:
- a Ana
- o João
- a Maria
This usually sounds neutral or familiar, not disrespectful.
In Brazilian Portuguese, using the article with names is much less common and can sound regional or marked, so learners often get confused.
So:
- Antes de sair, a Ana espalha… (very natural in European Portuguese)
- Antes de sair, Ana espalha… is also grammatically fine, but in casual speech many speakers would naturally say a Ana.
Espalhar literally means to spread or to scatter.
With creams, lotions, and sunscreen, espalhar means to spread it over the skin, often after you’ve already put some in your hand. So in context it is effectively:
- espalhar protetor solar ≈ to rub/spread sunscreen on (the skin)
Other possible verbs:
- pôr protetor solar / meter protetor solar – to put sunscreen on (very common and informal)
- aplicar protetor solar – to apply sunscreen (more formal / technical)
In this sentence, espalhar focuses on the action of spreading it over the arms and face.
Both are possible, with a nuance:
- espalha protetor solar
More generic: spreads (some) sunscreen. It talks about sunscreen as a substance, not a specific bottle the speaker has in mind. - espalha o protetor solar
Refers to a specific sunscreen already known in the context, roughly spreads the sunscreen.
In many everyday sentences about using products (coffee, sugar, sunscreen, shampoo), Portuguese often omits the article when the noun is used in a general or mass way:
- bebe café – drinks coffee
- compra pão – buys bread
- espalha protetor solar – spreads sunscreen
nos is the contraction of em + os:
- em + os braços → nos braços = on the arms
So nos braços literally means on the arms.
The full phrase is:
- nos braços e na cara do filho
The do filho (of the son) at the end is understood to apply to both braços and cara:
- on the son’s arms and face
You could also say:
- nos braços do filho e na cara do filho
but that repetition sounds heavy and unnatural in Portuguese. Putting do filho only once at the end is the normal pattern.
Portuguese usually uses a definite article for body parts, not a possessive, when it’s clear whose body we’re talking about:
- lava as mãos – washes (her/his) hands
- escovou os dentes – brushed (his/her) teeth
- pôs o casaco – put (his/her) coat on
Here:
- nos braços e na cara do filho
literally: on the arms and on the face of the son → naturally interpreted as on her son’s arms and face.
The phrase do filho already shows whose body parts these are, so you don’t need seus.
You could say nos braços e na cara do seu filho, but it sounds heavier and is normally used only if you need extra emphasis or contrast (e.g. her son, not someone else’s).
na cara is em + a cara:
- em + a → na
- cara = face
So na cara literally means on the face.
Nuance:
- cara is common, everyday, a bit more informal. It can also mean face in the sense of expression (e.g. fazer uma cara feia – to make a nasty face).
- rosto is a bit more neutral/formal, often used in writing, descriptions, or more careful speech.
You could absolutely say:
- nos braços e no rosto do filho
It would sound slightly more neutral / careful. na cara is perfectly natural in spoken European Portuguese.
do is the contraction of de + o:
- de + o filho → do filho
So:
- do filho = of the son / the son’s
You can’t say de filho here, because filho is a specific person, so it needs the article o:
- da filha = de + a filha – of the daughter
- dos filhos = de + os filhos – of the children
In Portuguese, the preposition em covers both in and on, depending on context:
- em casa – at home
- na mesa – on the table
- no chão – on the floor
- na pele – on the skin
With body parts and surfaces, em (contracted as no, na, nos, nas) is the standard preposition to mean on.
So:
- nos braços = on the arms
- na cara = on the face
You wouldn’t normally use another preposition for this meaning in this context.
About the comma and word order:
Current order (subordinate clause first):
- Antes de sair, a Ana espalha protetor solar…
When the time clause (Antes de sair) comes first, it is normally followed by a comma.
Reversed order:
- A Ana espalha protetor solar nos braços e na cara do filho antes de sair.
This is also correct and very natural. In this position, the comma before antes de sair is usually not necessary and is often omitted in everyday writing.
Both orders are fine; the difference is mostly rhythm and emphasis, not grammar.
After antes de when it is directly followed by a verb, that verb normally stays in the infinitive:
- antes de sair – before leaving
- antes de comer – before eating
- antes de estudar – before studying
You don’t say antes de sai or antes de saem; that would be incorrect.
If you want a conjugated verb, you change the structure to antes de que (or antes que) plus the present subjunctive:
- antes de que saiam / antes que saiam – before they leave
Yes, espalha is the present indicative (3rd person singular of espalhar).
Portuguese present tense is flexible and can mean:
Habitual action (very common here)
- Before going out, Ana (always) puts sunscreen on her son.
Narrative present / about to happen
In context, especially if you’re telling a story in the present, it can also describe what she is doing at this point in the story.
If you wanted to emphasize a specific future occasion, you could say:
- Antes de sair, a Ana vai espalhar protetor solar… – Before going out, Ana is going to put sunscreen…
Yes. In more formal, medical, or cosmetic contexts, you often see:
- aplica protetor solar – applies sunscreen
So:
- Antes de sair, a Ana aplica protetor solar nos braços e na cara do filho.
This sounds a bit more clinical or “instructional” (like in product instructions).
Espalha protetor solar is more everyday, family‑type language.