-tu aurretik

Before Doing

Level 3

Use the plain participle with aurretik or baino lehen: joan aurretik or joan baino lehen (before going).

How It Works

Forms.

  • -tu aurretik: joan aurretik, bukatu aurretik
  • -tu baino lehen: joan baino lehen, afaldu baino lehen
  • -tu baino lehenago, often with a measure: joan baino bi egun lehenago

No eta here. Unlike -tu eta gero, these forms never take eta. Say joan aurretik, not joan eta aurretik.

Own subject. The clause may have a different subject from the main verb: Zu iritsi baino lehen, dena prest egongo da (Before you arrive, everything will be ready).

Positive only. The clause names the moment something happens, so it is not made negative. For a situation that has not happened yet, use arte or gabe.

With nouns. After a noun, aurretik usually takes the genitive: afariaren aurretik (before dinner). A bare noun is also common: gerra aurretik (before the war). baino lehen follows the noun directly: afaria baino lehen. To describe a noun, add -ko: joan aurreko eguna (the day before leaving).

Examples (6)

  1. Lanera joan aurretik, kafe bat hartzen dut.

    Before going to work, I have a coffee.

  2. Afaldu baino lehen, eskuak garbitu.

    Wash your hands before dinner.

    Word by Word: Before having dinner, wash hands.

    baino lehen means the same as aurretik.

  3. Zu iritsi baino lehen, dena prest egongo da.

    Before you arrive, everything will be ready.

    The clause has its own subject, zu.

  4. Erabaki aurretik, ondo pentsatu behar duzu.

    Before deciding, you have to think carefully.

  5. Oheratu aurretik, liburu bat irakurtzen dut.

    Before going to bed, I read a book.

  6. Joan baino bi egun lehenago deitu zidan.

    She called me two days before she left.

    lehenago can take a measure of time.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding eta, as with eta gero.

    Joan eta aurretik, deitu iezadazu.
    Joan aurretik, deitu iezadazu.

    eta goes only with after-forms like eta gero. Before-forms attach straight to the participle: joan aurretik, joan baino lehen.

  • Using the -tzen form.

    Joaten baino lehen, deitu iezadazu.
    Joan baino lehen, deitu iezadazu.

    These clauses are built on the participle, the dictionary form: joan, not joaten.

  • Making the before clause negative.

    Eguna ez argitu aurretik, lanean ari nintzen.
    Eguna argitu aurretik, lanean ari nintzen.

    The clause names a moment: before daybreak. Adding ez makes it meaningless. Keep the clause positive.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-tu aurretikLevel 3Before Doing

Learn This First

Before follows after.

Words in This Pattern

bainolehenaurre