Breakdown of Me lavo los dientes antes de dormir.
de
from / of
dormir
to sleep
lavarse
to wash oneself
el diente
the tooth
Questions & Answers about Me lavo los dientes antes de dormir.
Why does this use los dientes instead of mis dientes for 'my teeth'?
In Spanish, when you perform actions on your own body parts, you usually use the definite article (el, la, los, las) instead of a possessive word like mis (my). The 'my' part is already understood because of the reflexive pronoun me, which shows you are doing the action to yourself.
Can I say cepillo (brush) instead of lavo (wash)?
Yes! Both me lavo los dientes (literally 'I wash my teeth') and me cepillo los dientes ('I brush my teeth') are perfectly natural and commonly used interchangeably in Latin America.
Why is it antes de dormir (infinitive) and not an '-ing' form like in English?
In English, we often use verbs ending in '-ing' after prepositions (like 'before sleeping'). In Spanish, whenever a verb comes directly after a preposition like de or a phrase like antes de (before), you must always use the infinitive form (the basic, unconjugated dictionary form ending in -ar, -er, or -ir).
Does the word me mean 'I' in this sentence?