Antes de arrancar, mi padre revisa si los faros funcionan bien.

Because after antes de, Spanish uses the infinitive when the subject is the same or when the subject is general/understood.

• antes de + infinitive = before doing something
• arrancar is the infinitive, so antes de arrancar = before starting / before setting off

You would not say antes de arranca because arranca is a conjugated verb, not an infinitive.

Also, antes que arrancar is not correct here. If Spanish uses a full clause with a different subject, it normally uses:

• antes de que + subjunctive

For example:

• Antes de que mi padre arranque, revisa los faros.
  = Before my father starts the car, he checks the headlights.

But in your sentence, antes de arrancar is the natural structure.

Here, arrancar means to start the car or to set off / drive away.

This verb has several meanings in Spanish depending on context, for example:

• arrancar el coche = to start the car
• arrancar = to pull out / tear off in other contexts

In this sentence, because we are talking about faros and a father checking them, the context is clearly about a car. So antes de arrancar means something like:

• before starting the car
• before driving off

The comma separates the introductory phrase from the main clause.

• Antes de arrancar = introductory time phrase
• mi padre revisa si los faros funcionan bien = main clause

This is similar to English:

• Before setting off, my father checks whether the headlights work properly.

In short sentences, Spanish punctuation can sometimes be flexible, but here the comma is very natural and helps readability.

Spanish often uses possessives like mi, tu, su when talking about family members, especially when it is important to say whose family member you mean.

• mi padre = my father

Saying just padre without an article or possessive would not work here.

You could also say:

• Mi padre revisa... = My father checks...
• El padre revisa... = The father checks...
  This would usually refer to a specific father already mentioned, not necessarily my father.

So mi padre is simply the normal way to say my father.

Revisa is the third person singular present tense of revisar.

• mi padre revisa = my father checks

Spanish often uses the present tense to describe:

1. Habitual actions
   • something someone regularly does
2. General routines
   • something that usually happens

So this sentence most naturally means:

• Before setting off, my father checks whether the headlights work properly.

It suggests a routine or habitual action, not necessarily something happening only right now.

Here revisar means to check, inspect, or make sure.

It often suggests examining something to see whether it is in good condition or working properly.

In car-related contexts, revisar is very natural for checking things like:

• los faros = headlights
• los frenos = brakes
• el aceite = oil
• las ruedas = tyres

It is similar to:

• comprobar = to check / verify
• verificar = to verify

But revisar feels very natural and everyday in this sentence.

In Spanish, si can introduce an indirect yes/no question, where English often uses whether or sometimes if.

So in:

• revisa si los faros funcionan bien

the meaning is:

• he checks whether the headlights work properly
• or he checks if the headlights work properly

Both are possible in English, but whether is often a clearer grammar explanation.

This si is not expressing a condition like:

• Si llueve, no salimos. = If it rains, we don’t go out.

Instead, it introduces what is being checked:

• si los faros funcionan bien = whether the headlights are working properly

Los faros means the headlights.

In general Spanish, faro can mean:

• lighthouse
• headlamp / headlight

Context tells you which meaning is intended. Since this sentence is about starting a car, los faros clearly means the car’s headlights.

The plural is natural because cars normally have two headlights.

In Spain, faros is a very normal word for vehicle headlights.

Because funcionar means to function / to work, which is exactly what we say about machines, devices, and car parts.

• los faros funcionan bien = the headlights work properly

You cannot say son bien here, because ser does not express that kind of idea.

Están bien could mean they are fine / they are okay, but it does not focus as clearly on whether they actually operate correctly.

Compare:

• Los faros funcionan bien.
  = The headlights work properly.
• Los faros están bien.
  = The headlights are fine / in good condition.

So funcionan bien is the best choice when testing whether they actually work.

Because the subject is los faros, which is plural.

• el faro funciona = the headlight works
• los faros funcionan = the headlights work

Spanish verbs must agree with the subject in number and person, just like in English.

So:

• mi padre revisa → singular subject (mi padre)
• los faros funcionan → plural subject (los faros)

Bien means well or properly.

So:

• funcionan = they work
• funcionan bien = they work well / properly

Without bien, the sentence would simply say the headlights work at all. With bien, it suggests that your father is checking not only that they turn on, but that they are working correctly.

Yes, but the structure and meaning would change slightly.

Your sentence:

• Antes de arrancar, mi padre revisa...
• literally: Before starting, my father checks...

This is compact and natural when the subject is understood or the same general person involved.

If you want a full clause after before, Spanish uses:

• antes de que + subjunctive

For example:

• Antes de que arranque, mi padre revisa si los faros funcionan bien.

That means:

• Before he sets off, my father checks whether the headlights work properly.

So both are possible, but antes de arrancar is shorter and very natural here.

Yes, somewhat. Spanish word order is often more flexible than English, although some versions sound more natural than others.

Original:

• Antes de arrancar, mi padre revisa si los faros funcionan bien.

You could also say:

• Mi padre revisa si los faros funcionan bien antes de arrancar.

This places the time phrase at the end instead of the beginning. The meaning stays basically the same.

The original version sounds very natural because it starts with the time context:

• Before setting off...

That is a common and clear way to organise the sentence.