enne kui
Before (Enne Kui)
Pese käed, enne kui sööd means wash your hands before you eat. The eating comes after the washing.
How It Works
enne kui joins two events and names the one that happens later: Pese käed, enne kui sööd. (First wash, then eat.)
Order. The clause can come after or before the main clause: Ma helistan sulle, enne kui tulen. ~ Enne kui tulen, helistan sulle.
Tense. Use the present for future events, as in English: Helista mulle, enne kui lähed. For the past, use a past tense: Jõudsime koju, enne kui hakkas vihma sadama.
Commas. A comma separates the two clauses. Usually it comes before enne kui. To stress the timing, you may put it between the two words: Ma helistan enne, kui tulen. At the start of a sentence, enne kui stays together.
enne without kui. Before a noun, enne works like a preposition and takes the partitive: enne sööki (before the meal), enne lõunat (before noon). For an action, use a -mine noun: enne söömist (before eating). Do not put a ma-infinitive after enne.
The opposite is pärast seda, kui (after).
Examples (6)
- Pese käed, enne kui sööd.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Word by Word: wash hands before when you-eat
- Ma helistan sulle, enne kui tulen.
I'll call you before I come.
The present tense tulen refers to the future.
- Enne kui lähed, pane aken kinni.
Close the window before you go.
The enne kui clause comes first, followed by a comma.
- Jõudsime koju, enne kui hakkas vihma sadama.
We got home before it started to rain.
- Mõtle hoolega, enne kui otsustad.
Think carefully before you decide.
- Pese käed enne söömist.
Wash your hands before eating.
Without a clause, enne takes a partitive noun.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out kui before a clause.
Pese käed, enne sööd.Pese käed, enne kui sööd.Before a clause with its own verb, you need both words: enne kui.
Putting the ma-infinitive after enne.
Pese käed enne sööma.Pese käed enne söömist.enne takes a partitive noun. Use the -mine noun söömine in the partitive, or a full clause: enne kui sööd.
How It Connects
Learn This First
enne kui turns enne into a clause.
Related Patterns
- pärast seda, kuiAfter (Pärast Seda, Kui)
The opposite: after something happens.
Level 3 - kuniUntil (Kuni)
kuni means until, another way to link two events in time.
Level 3 - kuiWhen and if (Kui)
kui on its own means when or if.
Level 2 - Verbal Noun (-mine)
enne söömist uses a -mine noun instead of a clause.
Level 3 - Commas Before Clauses
Where the comma goes with enne kui.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice enne kui in Bubblegum
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