El escenario está limpio antes de la función.

The stage is clean before the show.

Breakdown of El escenario está limpio antes de la función.

• estar: to be
• antes de: before
• limpio: clean
• el escenario: the stage
• la función: the show

Questions & Answers about El escenario está limpio antes de la función.

Why do we use está instead of es in this sentence?

Estar is used for temporary states or conditions, like being clean at a specific moment. Ser describes inherent or permanent characteristics. Here, the stage’s cleanliness is a temporary state before the show, so we say está limpio rather than es limpio.

Why does the adjective limpio come after the noun escenario?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun they modify: escenario limpio. Placing limpio after escenario simply follows the standard noun-adjective order. (You can sometimes put adjectives before for stylistic emphasis, but the default is noun + adjective.)

What do we need to remember about gender and number with limpio?

Adjectives must agree with the noun in gender and number. Escenario is masculine singular, so the adjective is limpio (not limpia, limpios or limpias).

Why do we say antes de la función and not just antes la función?

The structure antes de requires de before a noun or infinitive:
• antes de la función (before the show)
• antes de salir (before leaving)
Dropping de would be ungrammatical in Spanish.

How would it change if we mention a verb after antes de?

If you follow antes de with a verb, use the infinitive, not a conjugated form:
• Correct: antes de empezar la función (before the show starts)
• Incorrect: antes de que empieza la función (you’d need antes de que + subjunctive: antes de que empiece la función).

What exactly does función mean in this context?

Here función means a performance, show, or presentation (e.g. a theater play, concert, movie screening). It refers to the scheduled event that will take place on stage.

Why do we need the definite articles el and la before escenario and función?

Spanish usually requires definite articles before nouns, even when talking about things in general or specific ones.
• El escenario = “the stage”
• La función = “the show/performance”
Omitting the article would sound unnatural here.

What’s the difference between escenario and escena?

Escenario refers to the whole physical stage or set where actors perform.
Escena means a scene or part of the play. So you clean the escenario (stage), not the escena (scene of the play).