prije nego što / nakon što

Before and After a Clause

Level 4

Prije nego što and nakon što order two events.

How It Works

In Prije nego što odem, nazvat ću te, the call comes before the departure. The event in the subordinate clause is not always the event that happens first.

With nakon što, the subordinate event comes first: nakon što završimo, odmaramo se. Choose its tense and aspect for the actual timing rather than copying the main clause mechanically.

The full standard connector before a finite clause is prije nego što. If the clause comes first, follow it with a comma; if it is integrated after the main clause, a comma is normally absent.

Examples (3)

  1. Prije nego što odem, nazvat ću te.

    Before I leave, I will call you.

    The main event, calling, precedes leaving.

  2. Nakon što završimo posao, odmorit ćemo se.

    After we finish work, we will rest.

    Finishing comes before the rest.

  3. Oprala sam ruke prije nego što sam počela kuhati.

    I washed my hands before I began cooking.

    Both events are past; the speaker is female.

How It Connects

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prije nego što / nakon štoLevel 4Before and After a Clause

Learn This First

Before and after add an ordering relation between finite time clauses.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

nakon