Conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil antes de estudiar.

I connect the keyboard and the mouse to my laptop before studying.

Breakdown of Conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil antes de estudiar.

• yo: I
• mi: my
• estudiar: to study
• a: to

Questions & Answers about Conecto el teclado y el ratón a mi portátil antes de estudiar.

Why is it Conecto and not Me conecto?

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.