Por la noche, bajo la persiana antes de acostarme.

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Breakdown of Por la noche, bajo la persiana antes de acostarme.

• la noche: the night
• acostarse: to go to bed
• de: of
• la persiana: the blind
• bajar: to lower
• antes: before

Questions & Answers about Por la noche, bajo la persiana antes de acostarme.

Why is bajo written in the first-person form instead of the infinitive bajar in this sentence?

In Spanish, you need to conjugate the verb to match the subject who is performing the action. Since yo (I) am lowering the blind, the sentence uses bajo (the first-person present tense of bajar) rather than the infinitive bajar.

Why do we say por la noche instead of en la noche?

Por la noche is a common Spanish phrase meaning “at night” in a general sense, without specifying an exact time. En la noche is not incorrect, but it’s far less common in everyday Spanish when you just mean “at night.” Spanish typically uses por la mañana, por la tarde, and por la noche to talk about times of day or night in a broad sense.

What exactly is a persiana? Is it the same as a curtain?

A persiana refers to a type of shutter or blind (often a rolling shutter installed on the outside of a window) commonly used in Spain to block out light and provide insulation. A curtain (cortina) is usually a piece of fabric hung on the inside of a window, so persiana is a different concept.

Why do we say antes de acostarme with the reflexive pronoun attached to the end?

In Spanish, when you use antes de plus an infinitive, that infinitive must remain in its base form. Because acostarse is a reflexive verb, the pronoun me stays attached at the end of the infinitive (acostarme). You wouldn’t conjugate it (like me acuesto) in this structure.

Is antes de acostarme expressing a different meaning than antes de que me acueste?

They convey similar meanings (“before I go to bed”), but antes de acostarme is a prepositional phrase with an infinitive (antes de + acostarme), while antes de que me acueste is a conjunction phrase that would typically require the subjunctive (acueste). In everyday speech, antes de acostarme is simpler and more direct to say “before going to bed.”