Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Sunday November 18, 2007

antes, adverb:
before

Antes de is the basic phrase you need to convey the idea of something happening before something else:

antes de la cena
before dinner

You use the infinitive after antes de if the subject of the verb in both clauses is the same:

Tomamos un coñac antes de acostarnos.
We had a nightcap before going to bed.

But if the two subjects are different, you use antes de que and the subjunctive:

Tengo algo importante que decirte antes de que te vayas.*
I’ve got something important to tell you before you go.

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Spanish Word of the Day ArchiveSunday November 18, 2007