I have been using taxis a lot here in Recife. Yesterday I realized how often I am using the prepositions “before” and “after” to give directions and to make plans with friends. Please turn right after the light. It is one street before the park. I will call you after I finish this or that.
In this lesson you will learn how to use “before” and “after” in Portuguese. The trick is to use the preposition and verb tense.
I often hear Portuguese learners making the mistake of using the verb in the –ing form after these prepositions. This is always wrong.
Another common mistake is not using a preposition after Antes and Depois. Or using the wrong preposition.
I will show you 4 templates to use Before and After correctly and speak better Portuguese. I will use practical examples to show you how it all works.
You will also learn useful vocabulary and expressions along the lesson.
All the examples are followed by their English translation to facilitate your learning.
How to Use Before in Portuguese
Before in Portuguese is Antes.
It can be followed by the preposition de or one of its contractions.
It can also be followed by que.
Each case requires a different verb tense as I show you below.
1. Antes de + Verb in the infinitive
1) Imprima o relatório antes de telefonar para Paulo.
= Print the report before you call Paul.
2) Preciso terminar este projeto antes de entrar de férias.
= I need to finish this project before I go on vacation.
3) Cristina sempre toma café da manhã antes de sair para o trabalho.
= Cristina always has breakfast before she leaves for work.
2. Antes de + Noun
Use one of the contractions of de. It needs to agree in gender and number with the noun.
1) Paulo visitou o cliente antes da reunião.
= Paulo visited the client before the meeting.
2) Paulo sempre visita os clientes antes das reuniões.
= Paulo always visits his clients before the meetings.
3) Joana precisa chegar antes das 10 (horas).
= Joana needs to arrive before 10 (o’clock).
4) Manuela visitou Marta antes do casamento.
= Manuela visited Marta before the wedding.
5) João gosta de meditar antes dos jogos.
= João likes to meditate before the games.
6) É uma rua antes do parque.
= It’s one street before the park.
3. Antes que + Present Subjunctive
Certain conjunctions require the use of the present subjunctive. Antes que is one of these conjunctions.
The present subjunctive can be used to indicate a present or future situation or action.
1) Ligue para Paulo antes que ele saia para o almoço.
= Call Paulo before he leaves for lunch.
2) Preciso enviar este e-mail antes que o cliente fale com Sara.
= I need to send this e-mail before the client talks to Sara.
3) Vamos alertar Joana sobre o risco antes que seja tarde demais.
= Let’s alert Joana to the risk before it is too late.
- Practice the present subjunctive with our flashcards for Android
4. Antes que + Past Subjunctive
Compare these examples with the ones in section 3 above:
- In section 3 above, the sentences indicate a present or future situation or action.
- The sentences below indicate a past situation. Therefore you use the past subjunctive after Antes que.
1) Eu liguei para Paulo antes que ele saísse para o almoço.
= I called Paulo before he left for lunch.
2) Enviei o e-mail antes que o cliente falasse com Sara.
= I sent the e-mail before the client talked to Sara.
3) Nós alertamos Joana sobre o risco antes que fosse tarde demais.
= We alerted Joana to the risk before it was too late.
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How to Use After in Portuguese
After in Portuguese is Depois.
Like Antes, it can be followed by the preposition de or one of its contractions. It can also be followed by que. Each case requires a different verb tense.
1. Depois de + Verb in the Infinitive
1) Ligue para Paulo depois de terminar o relatório.
= Call Paulo after you finish the report.
2) Depois de pensar muito, decidi pedir demissão.
= After thinking a lot, I decided to quit my job.
3) Sempre chego em casa faminta depois de malhar.
= I always get home starving after I work out.
2. Depois de + Noun
Use one of the contractions of de. It needs to agree in gender and number with the noun.
Examples:
1) Paulo visitou o cliente depois da apresentação.
= Paulo visited the client after the meeting.
2) Paulo sempre visita os clientes depois das apresentações.
= Paulo always visits his clients after the meetings.
3) Manuela visitou Pedro depois do aniversário dele.
= Manuela visited Pedro after his birthday.
5) João gosta de relaxar depois dos jogos.
= João likes to relax after the games.
6) Vire à esquerda depois do sinal.
= Turn left after the light.
3. Depois que + Past tense
Use the past tense when talking about the past.
1) Depois que ele saiu, todos ficaram mais à vontade.
= Afte he left, everyone felt more at ease.
2) Não pude dormir depois que falei com você.
= I could not sleep after I spoke with you.
3) Joana foi para casa depois que terminou o relatório.
= Joana went home after she finished the report.
4. Depois que + Future subjunctive
Certain conjunctions require the use of the future subjunctive when they refer to an action that will happen in the future. Depois que is one of these conjunctions.
1) Vou ligar para Paulo depois que terminar esse relatório.
= I will call Paulo after I finish this report.
2) Só posso sair para almoçar depois que fizer essa ligação.
= I can only leave for lunch after I make this call.
3) Joana vai falar com o cliente depois que tiver as informações necessárias.
= Joana will speak with the client after she has the necessary information.
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Please explain this use of “antes de” (before a future subjunctive (?) rather than an infinitive or a noun):
Ora, o nascimento de Jesus Cristo foi assim: Estando Maria, sua mãe, desposada com José, antes de se ajuntarem, achou-se ter concebido do Espírito Santo. (Mt 1.18, ARC 2009)
Almeida 1693 has “antes que se ajuntassem”
I think I have found the answer to my question: “se ajuntarem” is not a subjunctive, it is an inflected infinitive. So it is consistent with rule 1 above, “antes de + verb in the infinitive”. Correct?
Oi, Brian! Yes! I am impressed. You are talking about the Infinitivo Pessoal. For regular verbs, it has the same conjugation as the future subjunctive, but is used with different triggers.
Now, if you use “antes que”, then you will need the present subjunctive, if the verb communicates an action that will or may occur in the future. For example: Vou telefonar para João e Maria antes que eles saiam de casa.
Or you need the past subjunctive if the action is in the past: Telefonei para João e Maria antes que eles saíssem de casa.
Thank you for the great question!
This is an excellent and helpful lesson for me. Thanks! Just a note on the English: in the sentence “Cristina always has breakfast before she leaves to work”, the expression “leaves to work” is almost never (if ever) used. “before she GOES TO work” or “before she LEAVES FOR work” are both acceptable alternatives.
You could say that in “Goes to work” the focus is on the place to where she is going, and “leaves for work” the focus is on the place or situation from which she is leaving. But this is pedantic and both are interchangeable for all practical purposes.
Obrigada! I’ve learned from your comment 🙂
6) Vire à esquerda depois do sinal……
Esquerda means… Left. But you mention as Right.
Oops. Thank you for bringing that to my attention. I’ve fixed it.