Breakdown of Ele limpa a cara com a toalha.
ele
he
com
with
limpar
to clean
a cara
the face
a toalha
the towel
Questions & Answers about Ele limpa a cara com a toalha.
The translation says "his face", but I don't see the word for "his". Why is it just a cara?
In Portuguese, when talking about body parts, you generally use the definite article (a, o, as, os) instead of a possessive pronoun like "my" or "his". Because he is the one doing the action, it is perfectly clear that a cara (the face) belongs to him.
Since this lesson is about reflexive pronouns, shouldn't there be a se here, like Ele limpa-se a cara?
That is a great question! When you name a specific body part as the direct object (like a cara or as mãos), you usually just use the regular non-reflexive verb. You would use the reflexive pronoun if he were cleaning himself generally without naming a specific part: Ele limpa-se (He cleans himself / He wipes himself).
I thought limpar meant "to clean". Why is it translated as "wipes" here?
Limpar is a very versatile verb that covers cleaning, wiping, and clearing. Since he is using a towel (a toalha) on his face, "wipes" is the most natural English translation, but the Portuguese verb remains the same.
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