Breakdown of Limpio la pizarra antes de cada lección.
yo
I
cada
each, every
la lección
the lesson
antes de
before
limpiar
to clean
la pizarra
the board
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Questions & Answers about Limpio la pizarra antes de cada lección.
Why is the simple present tense (limpio) used here to describe a habitual action?
In Spanish the presente de indicativo serves both to describe actions happening now and repeated or habitual actions. Unlike English—where you might consciously think “I clean the board” vs. “I am cleaning the board”—Spanish simply uses limpio to mean either “I clean” or “I do clean,” including routines (“I clean the board before every lesson”).
Why is there no subject pronoun (yo) in the sentence?
Spanish verbs are conjugated to indicate person and number, so the subject pronoun is usually dropped unless you need extra emphasis or clarity. Here limpio already tells you the subject is yo, so saying Yo limpio la pizarra… is correct but redundant in most contexts.
Why do we use la before pizarra? Isn’t it just “board”?
Spanish generally uses the definite article before nouns more often than English does, especially when referring to something specific in context. Here la pizarra means “the board” in your classroom. Omitting la would sound odd: you need la to mark that you’re cleaning that particular board.
Shouldn’t there be a personal a before la pizarra, like when the object is a person?
The personal a is used only when the direct object is a specific person or beloved animal. Since la pizarra is an inanimate object, no a is required. You simply say limpio la pizarra, not limpio a la pizarra.
What does antes de require: a verb or a noun? And when would I use antes de que?
- antes de + noun/infinitive is used for time expressions with no change of subject. In your sentence, antes de cada lección is antes de + noun.
- antes de + infinitive is similar: e.g. antes de limpiar.
- You use antes de que + [subjunctive] when there’s a change of subject and you need a clause, e.g. antes de que empiece la lección, limpio la pizarra (before the lesson starts, I clean the board).
What exactly does cada mean in cada lección?
cada means each or every. So cada lección is each lesson or every lesson. It emphasizes that you repeat the action for all lessons individually.
If I want to replace la pizarra with a pronoun, how do I do it?
The direct-object pronoun for la pizarra is la. You place it immediately before the conjugated verb:
• La limpio antes de cada lección.
Is limpiar a regular verb? How do its endings work?
Yes, limpiar is a regular -ar verb. You remove -ar and add the present-tense endings:
• yo limpio
• tú limpias
• él/ella limpia
• nosotros limpiamos
• vosotros limpiáis
• ellos/ellas limpian
Can I say Limpio el pizarrón instead of la pizarra?
Yes. In many Latin American countries, pizarrón (masculine) is common for a blackboard or whiteboard. If you use pizarrón, you must change the article to el:
• Limpio el pizarrón antes de cada lección.
Can the time phrase come first? For example, Antes de cada lección limpio la pizarra?
Absolutely. Spanish allows flexible word order. Putting the time phrase first adds emphasis on when you clean:
• Antes de cada lección, limpio la pizarra.