Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil antes de estudiar. - I connect the keyboard and the mouse to my laptop before studying.

Because here you’re connecting external devices (keyboard/mouse) to something. Conectar is transitive: conectar algo a algo. The reflexive form conectarse is used when the subject itself connects to a service/network: Me conecto a internet. You wouldn’t say me conecto el teclado.

Why is the preposition a used in a mi portátil? Could I use en?

With devices, Spanish typically says conectar X a Y (connect X to Y). A marks the target of the connection. En means “in/on,” so conectar en mi portátil sounds like “connect on my laptop,” which is odd here.

Can I say Conecto el teclado y el ratón en mi portátil?

Not for the idea of “plug/connect to.” Use a: Conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil. You might see enchufar algo en la pared (plug something into the wall), but with a laptop as the target, a is the norm.

Why is estudiar an infinitive after antes de?

Spanish uses antes de + infinitive when the subject is the same: “before studying (I) …” If the subject changes, use antes de que + subjunctive: Conecto… antes de que mi hermano estudie.

Could I front the time phrase? For example: Antes de estudiar, conecto…

Yes. Antes de estudiar, conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil. Add a comma after the fronted time phrase.

Why is it mi portátil and not el portátil mío?

Both are possible. The normal, neutral choice is the short possessive adjective: mi portátil. The long form (el portátil mío) is grammatical but sounds marked/emphatic in most contexts.

Is portátil masculine or feminine?

Masculine: el portátil, mi portátil, un portátil.

Why don’t we contract a + mi into “al” in a mi portátil?

The contraction al only happens with a + el. Since it’s a + mi, there’s no contraction: a mi portátil. If you said “the laptop,” you’d write al portátil.

Why do ratón and portátil have accent marks?

ratón: Words ending in -n normally stress the penultimate syllable, so an accent is needed to mark the final stress: ra-TÓN.
portátil: It’s esdrújula (stress on the third-from-last syllable), and all esdrújulas carry an accent: por-TÁ-til.

Could I replace el teclado y el ratón with a pronoun?

Yes: Los conecto a mi portátil. With an infinitive/gerund, the pronoun can attach: Voy a conectarlos / Estoy conectándolos.

What’s the difference between conectar and enchufar or emparejar?

conectar: general “connect” (USB, cable, Bluetooth, network).
enchufar: specifically “plug into a power or physical socket/cable.”
emparejar/vincular: “pair” devices (e.g., Bluetooth). Example: Emparejo el teclado por Bluetooth.

Is conectar X con Y also correct?

Yes. You’ll see both conectar X a Y and conectar X con Y. With devices, a is very common to mark the target; con can suggest linking two things together. Both are acceptable in practice.

Why are definite articles used (el teclado, el ratón)? Could I use un?

Use el/la when referring to specific, known items (your usual keyboard/mouse). Use un/una when they’re non-specific: Conecto un teclado y un ratón a mi portátil (any keyboard/mouse).

Why is it y and not e?

Spanish changes y to e before words that start with the “i” sound (i- or hi-): padres e hijos. Here the next word is el, so it stays y. Example where it changes: teclado e impresora.

Does ratón mean the animal or the computer device?

Both. In Spain, ratón is the standard for the device. You may see mouse in tech contexts, but ratón is the default in everyday Spanish.

Can I omit the second article and say el teclado y ratón?

No; that sounds odd. In Spanish, when listing countable items, you usually repeat the article: el teclado y el ratón.

Could I say al portátil instead of a mi portátil?

Yes, if context makes it clear which laptop you mean: Conecto el teclado y el ratón al portátil. A mi portátil emphasizes it’s yours.

If I replace both parts with pronouns, is Se los conecto al portátil correct?

Yes. El teclado y el ratón → los; al portátil → le, but le + los becomes se + los: Se los conecto al portátil (“I connect them to the laptop”).

Why not antes de estudiando?

Spanish does not use a gerund after antes de. Use antes de + infinitive: antes de estudiar.

Could I use para estudiar instead of antes de estudiar?

They’re different:

para estudiar = “in order to study” (purpose).
antes de estudiar = “before studying” (time). Choose based on meaning.

Is ordenador/portátil Spain-specific? What about Latin America?

In Spain: ordenador (computer) and portátil (laptop). In Latin America: computadora/computador and portátil or laptop (loanword). Portátil is widely understood everywhere.

Does antes de estudiar mean “before I study” even though there’s no subject?

Yes. When the subject is the same as the main clause’s subject, Spanish uses antes de + infinitive to mean “before I/you/etc. [same subject] study.” If the subject changes, use antes de que + subjunctive.

Any quick tip to remember mi vs mí?

mi (no accent) = my: mi portátil.
mí (accent) = me (after a preposition): para mí, a mí. Here it’s mi (possessive), so no accent.