Mi padre va a atornillar el estante antes de colgar el cuadro.

Because ir a + infinitive is a very common Spanish way to talk about the near future or a planned action.

So:

• va a atornillar = is going to screw/attach
• literally, the words are goes to screw/attach, but that is not how the full structure is understood

Here:

• va = he goes / is going
• a = part of the future construction
• atornillar = to screw in / to attach with screws

A native speaker hears va a atornillar as a future expression, not as physical movement.

Examples:

• Voy a comer. = I’m going to eat.
• Vamos a salir. = We’re going to go out.

Yes. You could say:

• Mi padre atornillará el estante antes de colgar el cuadro.

That also means My father will screw/attach the shelf before hanging the picture.

The difference is mostly in tone and style:

• va a atornillar often sounds more immediate, planned, or conversational
• atornillará can sound a bit more neutral, formal, or simply more like a plain future statement

In everyday spoken Spanish, ir a + infinitive is extremely common.

In modern Spanish, you normally use a possessive determiner like mi, tu, su, nuestro directly before the noun, without an article.

So:

• mi padre = my father
• tu casa = your house
• su coche = his/her/their car

You do not say el mi padre in standard modern Spanish.

Also, note the spelling:

• mi = my
• mí = me after a preposition, as in para mí = for me

So here mi padre is correct.

Atornillar means to fasten with screws, to screw in, or to attach using screws.

In this sentence, it most likely means the father is going to fix the shelf in place with screws.

A useful thing for English speakers: Spanish often uses a more specific verb where English might use a general one like put up, fix, or install.

So depending on context, atornillar el estante could be understood as:

• to screw the shelf into place
• to attach the shelf with screws
• to install the shelf using screws

Usually, yes. Estante commonly means shelf.

Depending on context, it can sometimes refer to a shelving unit or part of a bookcase, but in a sentence like this, the shelf is the most natural meaning.

Also remember:

• estante is masculine
• so it takes el: el estante

Examples:

• un estante = a shelf
• los estantes = the shelves

Because antes de + infinitive is used when there is no change of subject, or when Spanish presents the second action in a general infinitive form.

Here the sentence naturally means that the same person, my father, will do both actions:

1. atornillar el estante
2. colgar el cuadro

So Spanish uses:

• antes de colgar el cuadro = before hanging the picture

If you want to make it clear that a different person does the second action, Spanish often uses:

• antes de que + subjunctive

For example:

• Mi padre va a atornillar el estante antes de que yo cuelgue el cuadro.
• My father is going to screw in the shelf before I hang the picture.

So in your sentence, antes de + infinitive is the normal choice.

Because the fixed expression is:

• antes de + noun / infinitive = before

Examples:

• antes de comer = before eating
• antes de salir = before leaving
• antes del partido = before the match

So:

• antes de colgar el cuadro = before hanging the picture

If a full clause follows, then it changes to:

• antes de que + subjunctive

Example:

• antes de que llegue = before he/she arrives

Because colgar can be a direct transitive verb in Spanish when it means to hang something.

So:

• colgar el cuadro = to hang the picture
• colgar la chaqueta = to hang the jacket

No extra preposition is needed before the object.

Be careful, though: colgar can also appear in other patterns depending on meaning.

For example:

• colgar algo en la pared = to hang something on the wall
• colgar de algo = to hang from something

So:

• El cuadro cuelga de la pared = The picture hangs from the wall
• Voy a colgar el cuadro en la pared = I’m going to hang the picture on the wall

Here cuadro most naturally means picture, painting, or framed picture.

It does not always mean exactly the same thing in every context. Depending on the situation, cuadro can refer to:

• a painting
• a framed picture
• a decorative picture on a wall

So in this sentence, the picture is a good general translation.

Some related words:

• foto = photo
• fotografía = photograph
• pintura = painting as an art form
• cuadro = often the physical wall picture/frame

Spanish often uses the definite article when the objects are specific or already understood from the situation.

So:

• el estante = the shelf
• el cuadro = the picture

This suggests the speaker has particular items in mind, even if English might sometimes also say a shelf or a picture in a different context.

If the items were not specific, you could say:

• Mi padre va a atornillar un estante antes de colgar un cuadro.

That would mean he is going to install a shelf before hanging a picture, without referring to already identified objects.

Because the personal a is mainly used with specific human direct objects and sometimes pets or personified beings.

Here, both objects are things:

• el estante = a shelf
• el cuadro = a picture

So there is no personal a.

Compare:

• Veo el cuadro. = I see the picture.
• Veo a mi padre. = I see my father.

The second one needs a because mi padre is a person.

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others depending on emphasis.

Original:

• Mi padre va a atornillar el estante antes de colgar el cuadro.

You could also say:

• Antes de colgar el cuadro, mi padre va a atornillar el estante.

That puts more focus on the before hanging the picture part.

But you would not usually separate va a atornillar in an unnatural way, because ir a + infinitive functions as a unit.

So this is good:

• Mi padre va a atornillar el estante...

And this is not a natural learner-friendly pattern to imitate:

• Mi padre va el estante a atornillar...

In most of Spain today, ll is usually pronounced the same as y. This is called yeísmo.

So atornillar sounds roughly like:

• a-tor-ni-YAR

The final -ar stress falls on the last syllable because it ends in -r:

• atornillar

Also:

• colgar = stress on the last syllable: colgar
• cuadro = stress on cua

Exact pronunciation varies by region, but treating ll like y is a good standard starting point.

Yes, that is the most natural interpretation.

In:

• Mi padre va a atornillar el estante antes de colgar el cuadro

the implied subject of colgar is normally the same as the subject of the main verb, so the sentence is understood as:

• My father is going to screw in the shelf before he hangs the picture.

If the subject changed, Spanish would normally make that clearer, often with antes de que + subjunctive, for example:

• Mi padre va a atornillar el estante antes de que mi hermana cuelgue el cuadro.

That clearly means the sister will hang the picture, not the father.