Question 1

What does mudarnos mean here, and why is nos attached to the verb?

Accepted Answer

- Mudarse is a pronominal verb meaning “to move (house).”  
- Nos marks the subject “we,” so mudarnos = “to move (ourselves).”  
- With antes de + infinitive, clitic pronouns attach to the infinitive: antes de mudarnos.  
- Standard Spanish does not say antes de nos mudar; use antes de mudarnos or antes de que nos mudáramos/mudemos.

Question 2

When do I use antes de + infinitive vs. antes de que + subjunctive?

Accepted Answer

- Same subject in both actions: use antes de + infinitive (e.g., Antes de mudarnos, barrimos…).  
- Different subjects: use antes de que + subjunctive (e.g., Antes de que ellos se mudaran, barrimos…).  
- Tense of the subjunctive depends on context: past narration → mudáramos; present/future reference → mudemos.  
- In many places you’ll hear antes que (without de) in speech; the recommended standard is antes de que.

Question 3

Why is barrimos in the preterite and not the imperfect?

Accepted Answer

- Barrimos (preterite) presents a completed action at a defined time.  
- The imperfect (barríamos) would describe an ongoing/habitual background action (“we used to sweep”), which doesn’t fit a one-time cleanup before moving.

Question 4

Could I say Habíamos barrido instead?

Accepted Answer

- Habíamos barrido (past perfect) highlights that the sweeping happened before another past event:  
  - Cuando nos mudamos, ya habíamos barrido.  
- In the original sentence, antes de already expresses anteriority, so the simple preterite barrimos is natural. Use the past perfect when you’re anchoring it relative to another past moment.

Question 5

Is del pasillo y la cocina correct, or should it be del pasillo y de la cocina?

Accepted Answer

- Both are used. Spanish often omits the repeated preposition in coordinated phrases, so del pasillo y la cocina is common.  
- In careful/formal writing or for extra clarity, repeat it: del pasillo y de la cocina. Both mean “of the hallway and (of) the kitchen.”

Question 6

What exactly is del?

Accepted Answer

- Del = de + el (the preposition de plus the masculine article el).  
- No contraction with other articles: de la, de los, de las.  
- Don’t confuse with the pronoun él: you write de él, not “del,” when it means “of him.”

Question 7

In Latin America, isn’t piso more common than suelo for “floor”?

Accepted Answer

- Yes. In much of Latin America, piso is the usual word for an indoor floor; suelo often means “ground/soil,” though it’s still understood as “floor.”  
- A more local-sounding version would be: Antes de mudarnos, barrimos el piso del pasillo y de la cocina.

Question 8

Does barrer mean “to mop”?

Accepted Answer

- Barrer = to sweep (with a broom).  
- To mop: in Latin America, common options are trapear or fregar (varies by country), or phrases like pasar el trapo (River Plate). In Spain, fregar el suelo commonly means “to mop.”

Question 9

Do I need to say el suelo? Could I just say Barrimos el pasillo y la cocina?

Accepted Answer

- You can absolutely drop el suelo. It’s idiomatic to say you sweep a room:  
  - Barrimos el pasillo y la cocina.  
- Adding el suelo specifies the surface but is usually unnecessary in everyday speech.

Question 10

Why is there a comma after Antes de mudarnos?

Accepted Answer

- In Spanish, when an adverbial phrase/clause like Antes de mudarnos comes first, a comma is normally used to set it off: Antes de mudarnos, …  
- If it comes after, you usually don’t need a comma: Barrimos … antes de mudarnos.

Question 11

Can I say Antes de nos mudar?

Accepted Answer

- Not in standard contemporary Spanish. Clitic pronouns attach to the infinitive: antes de mudarnos.  
- Alternatively, with que, place the pronoun before the conjugated verb: antes de que nos mudáramos/mudemos.

Question 12

Could the main verb be in the present, like Antes de mudarnos, barremos…?

Accepted Answer

- Yes, but the meaning changes.  
  - Antes de mudarnos, barrimos… = one completed past event.  
  - Antes de mudarnos, barremos… = a general rule/instruction (e.g., “Before we move, we sweep”), or a scheduled future treated as present.  
  - For a future plan: Antes de mudarnos, barreremos… or vamos a barrer…

Question 13

Does la cocina here mean “the kitchen” or “the stove”?

Accepted Answer

- Here it means the room, “the kitchen.”  
- In some places, la cocina can also mean “stove/range,” but context (sweeping floors) makes “kitchen (room)” the only sensible reading. If you need to avoid ambiguity for “stove,” many countries say la estufa.

Question 14

Is there any issue with mixing del … y la … (masculine/feminine) in one phrase?

Accepted Answer

- It’s fine: the preposition de is understood to apply to both nouns: del pasillo y [de] la cocina.  
- If you prefer total symmetry, repeat the preposition: del pasillo y de la cocina.

Question 15

Why mudarse and not moverse for “to move (house)”?

Accepted Answer

- Mudarse = to move residence.  
- Moverse = to move one’s body/change position; mover = to move an object.  
- For relocating, use mudarse: Nos mudamos a otra ciudad.

Question 16

Are pasillo and corredor interchangeable?

Accepted Answer

- Often, yes. Pasillo is widely understood; corredor is also used in parts of Latin America. Local preference varies, but pasillo is safe everywhere.

Question 17

How do I know barrimos is past and not present?

Accepted Answer

- For nosotros, present is barremos; preterite is barrimos. So barrimos clearly marks the past.  
- The time marker Antes de… also cues a past sequence in the original sentence.

Antes de mudarnos, barrimos el suelo del pasillo y la cocina.

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