Si te cortas el dedo, lávatelo bien antes de ponerte una tirita.

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Breakdown of Si te cortas el dedo, lávatelo bien antes de ponerte una tirita.

• tú: you
• antes de: before
• bien: well

Questions & Answers about Si te cortas el dedo, lávatelo bien antes de ponerte una tirita.

Why is it si te cortas and not si te cortes?

Because after si for a real, possible situation in the present or future, Spanish normally uses the present indicative, not the subjunctive.

So:

• Si te cortas el dedo... = If you cut your finger...

This is the standard pattern:

• Si + present indicative, + command / future / present

For example:

• Si llueve, no salgas.
• Si tienes hambre, come algo.

You would not normally say si te cortes here.

What does te mean in te cortas?

Here te means yourself. The verb cortarse is being used reflexively, so te cortas el dedo literally works like you cut yourself on the finger or you cut your finger.

In Spanish, this is very common with body-related actions:

• Me lavé las manos = I washed my hands
• Se rompió la pierna = He/She broke his/her leg
• Te cortas el dedo = You cut your finger

So te shows that the action happens to you.

Why does it say el dedo instead of ?