Reviso mi pasaporte antes de viajar a Madrid.

I check my passport before traveling to Madrid.

Breakdown of Reviso mi pasaporte antes de viajar a Madrid.

• yo: I
• mi: my
• a: to
• viajar: to travel
• Madrid: Madrid
• antes de: before
• revisar: to check
• el pasaporte: the passport

Questions & Answers about Reviso mi pasaporte antes de viajar a Madrid.

What tense is reviso, and why is it used here instead of a past or future form?

Reviso is the first person singular present indicative of revisar. In Spanish the present tense can express:
• A habitual or regular action (“I check my passport regularly”).
• Something you’re about to do in the near future (“I check my passport before I travel to Madrid”).
That’s why the simple present is perfectly natural here.

Why isn’t reviso used reflexively (like me reviso mi pasaporte)?

Revisar is a transitive verb: you review or check something directly. You don’t need a reflexive pronoun. Saying me reviso would imply you’re examining yourself rather than your passport.

Why is antes de viajar followed by an infinitive and not by a conjugated verb or the subjunctive?

After antes de, if the subject remains the same in both clauses, Spanish requires an infinitive (viajar), not a conjugated verb. Use antes de que + subjunctive only if the subject changes between clauses.

Could I say antes que viajar without the de?

No. When you want to link antes directly to an infinitive, Spanish always uses antes de + infinitive. Omitting de would be ungrammatical.

Why do we say viajar a Madrid and not viajar en Madrid or viajar al Madrid?

• a Madrid uses the preposition a for motion or destination.
• City names in Spanish don’t take an article (with very few exceptions).
• en Madrid would mean “in Madrid,” as in “I’m travelling around while I’m in Madrid.”

Why is it mi pasaporte instead of el pasaporte?

You use the possessive adjective mi to specify your passport. Saying el pasaporte without a modifier is more general (“the passport”), and in context you want to stress that it’s your document.

Could I say voy a revisar mi pasaporte antes de viajar a Madrid instead?

Yes. Voy a revisar + infinitive is the periphrastic future (“I’m going to check”). Both sentences are correct:
• Reviso mi pasaporte… (simple present)
• Voy a revisar mi pasaporte… (near future)

What’s the difference between viajar a Madrid and ir a Madrid?

• Ir a Madrid = “to go to Madrid” (very general).
• Viajar a Madrid = “to travel to Madrid,” often implying a longer trip or journey.
In everyday speech, both are acceptable, though ir is more commonly used for simple “going.”