Limpar
to clean
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | limpo | Eu limpo a cozinha toda noite antes de dormir. — I clean the kitchen every night before sleeping. |
| você/ele/ela | limpa | Ela limpa a mesa antes de colocar qualquer coisa. — She cleans the table before putting anything on it. |
| nós | limpamos | Nós limpamos a casa todo sábado de manhã. — We clean the house every Saturday morning. |
| eles/elas | limpam | Eles limpam o apartamento só quando alguém vai visitar. — They clean the flat only when someone is coming to visit. |
I clean as a way of organising my thoughts — the house reflects the mind. My friend cleans every Friday as a ritual for closing out the week. We clean together when we have guests — the division of tasks arises naturally. The best cooks in the kitchen clean as they go — it's a matter of respect.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | limpei | Eu limpei tudo antes da festa e sujou em dois minutos. — I cleaned everything before the party and it was messy within two minutes. |
| você/ele/ela | limpou | Ela limpou as janelas e a luz entrou de um jeito diferente. — She cleaned the windows and the light came in differently. |
| nós | limpamos | Nós limpamos o depósito que ninguém queria enfrentar. — We cleaned out the storage room nobody wanted to tackle. |
| eles/elas | limparam | Eles limparam a praia inteira num sábado de voluntariado. — They cleaned the whole beach in one Saturday of volunteering. |
The flat was in an impossible state after the renovation. I cleaned for three days straight without stopping. My partner cleaned the kitchen with a dedication I no longer had. We cleaned and each room revealed something new. The builders cleaned what they could — the rest was up to us.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | limpava | Eu limpava o quarto só quando minha mãe mandava. — I used to clean my room only when my mum told me to. |
| você/ele/ela | limpava | Ela limpava a casa com prazer — tinha um ritual próprio. — She used to clean the house with pleasure — she had her own ritual. |
| nós | limpávamos | Nós limpávamos o quintal antes da festa junina todo ano. — We used to clean the garden before the June party every year. |
| eles/elas | limpavam | Eles limpavam o bar depois do expediente — era o combinado. — They used to clean the bar after closing — that was the agreement. |
In childhood, I used to clean my room at speed before dad saw. My mum used to clean the house from bottom to top and never stopped in the middle. We used to clean together after Sunday lunch — family ritual. Grandmothers used to clean what was already clean — out of love, not because it was dirty.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou limpar | Vou limpar o banheiro antes da visita. — I'm going to clean the bathroom before the visitors come. |
| você/ele/ela | vai limpar | Ele vai limpar os vidros amanhã quando esfriar. — He's going to clean the windows tomorrow when it cools down. |
| nós | vamos limpar | Vamos limpar o apartamento antes de entregar as chaves. — We're going to clean the flat before handing back the keys. |
| eles/elas | vão limpar | Os funcionários vão limpar o espaço antes da inauguração. — The staff are going to clean the space before the opening. |
The move is scheduled for next week. I'm going to clean the flat before handing it back. My husband is going to clean the garage that's been left for later for months. We're going to clean every corner and leave everything as we found it. Those who clean after us are going to find a worthy space.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | limparei | Limparei tudo antes de fechar o escritório. — I will clean everything before closing the office. |
| você/ele/ela | limpará | A equipe limpará os equipamentos após o uso. — The team will clean the equipment after use. |
| nós | limparemos | Limparemos o espaço conforme o protocolo estabelecido. — We will clean the space according to the established protocol. |
| eles/elas | limparão | Os técnicos limparão os filtros a cada seis meses. — The technicians will clean the filters every six months. |
The sanitation protocol was distributed: "Professionals will clean surfaces every two hours. We will clean equipment with certified product. High-contact areas will be cleaned according to people flow. I will personally clean the waiting area before each shift."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | limparia | Eu limparia mais se a casa não sujasse tão rápido. — I would clean more if the house didn't get dirty so quickly. |
| você/ele/ela | limparia | Ela limparia com mais frequência se tivesse ajuda. — She would clean more often if she had help. |
| nós | limparíamos | Limparíamos o depósito se tivéssemos um dia inteiro livre. — We would clean the storage room if we had a whole day free. |
| eles/elas | limpariam | Eles limpariam mais se o produto fosse mais eficiente. — They would clean more if the product were more efficient. |
If the day had more hours, I would clean the house more calmly. My perfectionist friend would clean every corner if work allowed. We would clean more if there were a fair division among the residents. Cities would clean better if there were selective collection in every neighbourhood.
Limpar across the tenses
A short story using limpar in multiple tenses
Minha vó limpava a casa cantando — não era tarefa, era expressão. Limpava de ponta a ponta com um pano e uma determinação que ninguém igualava. Nós netos limpávamos quando ela mandava — e fingíamos que não havia mais nada.
Hoje eu limpo e penso nela. Ontem limpei a despensa e encontrei um tempero dela que guardei sem saber. Limpamos o quartinho dos fundos juntas uma vez — e encontramos mais história do que poeira.
No próximo fim de semana, vou limpar o armário que acumulou um ano de coisas. "Quando terminar, limparei também o que não preciso mais carregar na cabeça," escrevi na agenda.
Perguntei à minha mãe o que ela limparia se pudesse limpar qualquer coisa de uma vez. "Limparia mágoa," ela disse, sem hesitar. "Mágoa acumula mais rápido do que poeira."
My grandma used to clean the house singing — it wasn't a chore, it was expression. She used to clean from end to end with a cloth and a determination nobody could match. We grandchildren used to clean when she told us — and pretended there was nothing left. Today I clean and think of her. Yesterday I cleaned the larder and found a spice of hers I had kept without knowing. We cleaned the small back room together once — and found more history than dust. Next weekend, I'm going to clean the wardrobe that has accumulated a year's worth of things. "When I'm done, I will also clean what I no longer need to carry in my head," I wrote in the diary. I asked my mum what she would clean if she could clean anything at once. "I would clean resentment," she said, without hesitating. "Resentment accumulates faster than dust."
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