Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Desayuno cereales con miel antes de ir a la cafetería. - I have cereal with honey for breakfast before going to the cafeteria.

It’s the verb: first-person singular present of desayunar (“to have breakfast”), meaning “I have breakfast.” The noun would normally appear with an article: el desayuno (“the breakfast”). So: Desayuno cereales… = “I have cereal…,” whereas El desayuno = “breakfast.”

Why is there no yo?

Spanish typically drops subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows the subject. Desayuno clearly means “I have breakfast.” You can add Yo desayuno for emphasis or contrast, but it isn’t required.

Can I say comer desayuno or tomar desayuno instead of desayunar?

The most generally accepted, neutral choice is to use the verb desayunar: Desayuno cereal(es).
In many Latin American countries it’s also common to say tomar desayuno / tomar el desayuno.
Comer desayuno is widely understood but sounds non-native in many places. If you want to use comer, say things like Como cereal en el desayuno (“I eat cereal at breakfast”).

Why cereales and not cereal?

Both are used. In much of Latin America, singular cereal is common as a mass noun for breakfast cereal, while cereales also works and can suggest the general category or multiple kinds. So you’ll hear both: Desayuno cereal and Desayuno cereales.

Do I need an article: el cereal / los cereales?

Not here. With foods in an unspecified amount, Spanish often omits the article: Desayuno cereal(es). Use the article when referring to a specific, known item or making general statements: Me comí el cereal que compraste; Los cereales son populares.

Why is it con miel and not con la miel?

Miel is an uncountable noun here, and when you mean honey in general you normally omit the article: con miel. Use the article when it’s specific: con la miel que traje (“with the honey I brought”), or when specifying type: con miel de abeja.

What gender is miel?

Feminine: la miel, esta miel. Example: La miel está muy espesa.

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

The preposition de is required: antes de + infinitive (or noun). So you must say antes de ir, antes de salir, antes de la clase, etc. You can’t drop the de.

When do I use antes de que + subjunctive instead?

Use antes de que + a conjugated verb (subjunctive) when there’s a full clause, typically with a different subject or when you don’t use an infinitive: Desayuno cereal antes de que tú llegues. With the same subject, the infinitive is usually preferred: antes de ir.

Why ir a la cafetería and not ir al cafetería or ir a cafetería?

Cafetería is feminine, so it’s a la cafetería.
Al is the contraction of a + el, used only with masculine singular nouns.
Spanish normally needs an article with common nouns in this kind of phrase, so bare a cafetería is not idiomatic.

What’s the difference between la cafetería and el café?

In Latin America, la cafetería can be a coffee shop or a cafeteria (like at school/work). El café is the beverage “coffee,” and can also mean a café/coffee shop in some contexts. Ir al café may sound like “go to a (specific) café” or simply “go for coffee,” depending on context.

Can I move the time phrase to the front? For example: Antes de ir a la cafetería, desayuno…?

Yes. Fronting time expressions is common and natural: Antes de ir a la cafetería, desayuno cereales con miel. Keep the comma when you front it. Placing it at the end, as in the original, is also fine.

How would I say this about a single past event?

Use the preterite: Desayuné cereal(es) con miel antes de ir a la cafetería. For habitual or background past, use the imperfect: Desayunaba cereal con miel cuando vivía allí.

Can I replace “cereales (con miel)” with a pronoun?

Grammatically, yes: los for (los) cereales, lo for (el) cereal. But with desayunar, direct-object pronouns like los/lo are uncommon unless you’re contrasting: ¿Pan? No; cereales. Esos los desayuno. More natural is to repeat or rephrase: Eso desayuno / Eso como para el desayuno.

Is antes de the same as delante de?

No. Antes de is temporal (“before” in time). Delante de is spatial (“in front of”). So say antes de ir (before going), not delante de ir.

How do I negate this sentence?

Put no before the verb: No desayuno cereal(es) con miel antes de ir a la cafetería. Adverbs like nunca go in the same slot: Nunca desayuno…

Where can I put adverbs like siempre, a veces, normalmente?

Common placements are before the verb or at the start: Siempre desayuno…, A veces desayuno…, Normalmente desayuno… You can also place them at the end for emphasis: Desayuno cereal con miel normalmente.