Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque.

Before running, I stretch my muscles in the park.

Breakdown of Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque.

• yo: I
• en: in
• de: of
• el parque: the park
• correr: to run
• antes: before
• el músculo: the muscle
• estirar: to stretch

Questions & Answers about Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque.

Why does the sentence use de after antes (antes de correr)?

In Spanish, antes almost always needs de when it’s followed by a noun or an infinitive:

• antes de + infinitive: antes de correr = before running
• antes de + noun: antes de la cena = before dinner

So antes de correr is the standard structure.
Without de (antes correr) it sounds wrong in this context.

Why is correr in the infinitive and not a conjugated form like corro or corra?

After a preposition (like de, en, a, por, etc.), Spanish uses the infinitive, not a gerund or a conjugated verb:

• antes de correr = literally before to run → before running
• después de comer = after eating
• sin dormir = without sleeping

So because correr comes after de, it must be in the infinitive: antes de correr.
You would only conjugate the verb if you change the structure, e.g. antes de que yo corra (subjunctive).

Could I say Antes de correr, yo estiro los músculos? Why is yo omitted?

Yes, Antes de correr, yo estiro los músculos en el parque is grammatically correct.

Spanish normally drops subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, etc.) because the verb ending already shows who the subject is:

• estiro can only be yo (I).

You add yo mainly for emphasis or contrast:

• Antes de correr, yo estiro los músculos, pero ella no.
  Before running, I stretch my muscles, but she doesn’t.

In the neutral sentence, yo is unnecessary, so it’s omitted.

Why is it estiro los músculos and not me estiro?

Both are possible, but they focus slightly differently:

• estiro los músculos = I stretch the muscles (emphasizes the muscles as an object)
• me estiro = I stretch (myself) (more general: I stretch my body)

In practice, for warming up before exercise, many speakers would say:

• Antes de correr, me estiro en el parque.
• Antes de correr, me estiro los músculos en el parque.

me estiro los músculos combines a reflexive pronoun (me) with a body part using the definite article (los). That’s very common for actions you do to your own body.

estiro los músculos (without me) is still correct; it just sounds a bit more like you’re thinking of the muscles as an object you stretch.

Why is it los músculos and not mis músculos?

Spanish often uses the definite article (el, la, los, las) with body parts instead of possessive adjectives when it’s clear whose body we’re talking about:

• Me duele la cabeza. = My head hurts.
• Me lavo las manos. = I wash my hands.

In your sentence, it’s clear we’re talking about the speaker’s own muscles, so los músculos is natural and doesn’t sound strange.

You can say mis músculos:

• Antes de correr, estiro mis músculos en el parque.

That adds a bit of emphasis that they are my muscles (for example, contrasting with someone else’s). Neutral, everyday Spanish prefers the article: los músculos.

Why is estiro in the present tense? Does it mean “I am stretching” or “I (usually) stretch”?

Spanish simple present (estiro) can mean:

1. A habitual action (most common here):

   • Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque.
     = Before running, I (always/usually) stretch my muscles in the park.

2. An action happening now (in some contexts), but less often than in English.

If you want to emphasize that it’s happening right now, you’d typically use the progressive:

• Ahora mismo estoy estirando los músculos en el parque.
  = Right now I am stretching my muscles in the park.

In your sentence, the natural reading is a habit or routine.

Can I move antes de correr to the end and say Estiro los músculos en el parque antes de correr?

Yes. Both are correct:

• Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque.
• Estiro los músculos en el parque antes de correr.

The main difference is emphasis:

• At the beginning (Antes de correr, …) you highlight the time condition: before running.
• At the end (… antes de correr) it sounds a bit more neutral: you’re just adding when it happens.

Grammatically, both word orders are fine.

Why is it en el parque and not al parque or del parque?

Different prepositions express different relationships:

• en = in / at (location)

  • en el parque = in/at the park (where you stretch)

• a = to (movement toward a place)

  • Voy al parque. = I go to the park.

• de = from / of (origin, possession, etc.)

  • Vengo del parque. = I’m coming from the park.

In your sentence, you are describing where you stretch, not where you’re going or where you’re coming from, so en el parque is the correct preposition.

Why do we need el before parque? Could we just say en parque?

In Spanish, singular countable nouns usually need an article (definite or indefinite), unless there’s a special reason not to.

• en el parque = in the park (a specific park, or “the park” in general in your context)
• en un parque = in a park (some park, not specified)

en parque (no article) is incorrect in this context.

So you basically must choose between el and un, depending on whether you mean a particular park or just any park.

Is the comma after correr required in Antes de correr, estiro los músculos en el parque?

Yes, that comma is standard and recommended.

When an adverbial phrase like Antes de correr comes at the beginning of the sentence, Spanish normally separates it with a comma:

• Después de trabajar, voy al gimnasio.
• Por la mañana, tomo café.

You could sometimes see it written without the comma in informal text, but the correct, careful writing uses the comma there.

What’s the difference between antes de correr and antes de que corra?

They are different structures:

1. antes de + infinitive (same subject)

   • Antes de correr, estiro los músculos.
     The same person both runs and stretches (I stretch before I run).

2. antes de que + subjunctive (usually different subjects)

   • Antes de que él corra, yo estiro los músculos.
     Before he runs, I stretch my muscles.

If the subject is the same in both actions, Spanish prefers antes de + infinitive.
If the subject changes, use antes de que + subjunctive.