antes de que + Subjunctive
Before (Subjunctive)
Use antes de que + subjunctive to place one action before another. The construction also uses the subjunctive when both events happened in the past.
How It Works
The conjunction antes de que connects an action with a later event. The following verb takes the subjunctive, even when the speaker knows both events happened.
Structure:
Main clause + antes de que + subjunctive clause.
Choosing a Finite Clause or an Infinitive
Use a finite clause to give the later action its own subject:
Yo me voy antes de que tú llegues. (I am leaving before you arrive.)
When the same person performs both actions, antes de + infinitive is often concise:
Ponte el abrigo antes de salir. (Put on your coat before going out.)
A same-subject finite clause is also possible: Ponte el abrigo antes de que salgas. Subject identity does not make this sentence incorrect.
Choosing the Tense
For a later event viewed from the present, the present subjunctive is common:
Llama a tu madre antes de que sea demasiado tarde. (Call your mom before it is too late.)
In a past narrative, the imperfect subjunctive is common:
Salimos antes de que empezara a llover. (We left before it started to rain.)
The mood comes from antes de que; the tense reflects the time relationship. Compound subjunctive forms can also be used when their completed-action meaning is needed.
Examples (4)
- Termina tu tarea antes de que lleguen tus amigos.
Finish your homework before your friends arrive.
Word by Word: Finish your homework before that arrive your friends.
Antes de que introduces the friends’ arrival with the subjunctive lleguen. The friends are the subject of that verb; the command addresses tú.
- Necesito hablar contigo antes de que te vayas.
I need to talk with you before you leave.
Word by Word: I need to talk with you before that you leave.
Antes de que selects the subjunctive vayas. Its present tense fits the anticipated departure viewed from the current situation.
- El profesor explicó la lección otra vez antes de que los estudiantes hicieran el examen.
The professor explained the lesson again before the students took the exam.
Word by Word: The professor explained the lesson another time before that the students did the exam.
Hicieran is imperfect subjunctive, fitting the past narrative. The students may actually have taken the exam; the subjunctive does not deny that event.
- Ponte el abrigo antes de que salgas.
Put on your coat before you go out.
Word by Word: Put on yourself the coat before that you go out.
Both actions address the same person. Antes de que still takes salgas; antes de salir is another natural way to express the timing.
Common Mistakes
Using the indicative instead of the subjunctive.
Llámame antes de que llegas a casa.Llámame antes de que llegues a casa.Antes de que selects the subjunctive, so this clause needs llegues, not llegas. This construction keeps the subjunctive in past narratives too; the rule is not simply that the event is unconfirmed.
Confusing 'antes de que' with 'antes de'.
Tengo que estudiar antes de que salgo.Tengo que estudiar antes de salir.Salgo is indicative and cannot be used here after antes de que. With the same subject, antes de salir is a concise choice. Antes de que salga is also possible; a finite clause is not restricted to different subjects.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To use 'antes de que' correctly, you must first be familiar with the basic temporal preposition 'antes de' and have a solid grasp of how to conjugate verbs in the present subjunctive, as this specific conjunction always triggers the subjunctive mood regardless of certainty or reality.
- antes de + InfinitiveBefore Doing
Learners should first understand the basic temporal structure 'antes de' used with infinitives before moving to the more complex clause structure requiring the subjunctive.
Level 1 - -a/-as/-a/-amos/-áis/-anPresent Subjunctive -ER/-IR
Knowledge of present subjunctive conjugation for -ER and -IR verbs is necessary to form the subordinate clause after 'antes de que'.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- cuando/después de que/hasta que + SubjunctiveTemporal Subjunctive
These conjunctions also connect events in time, but their mood patterns differ. Unlike antes de que, cuando normally uses the indicative for factual past events and the subjunctive for anticipated future events.
Level 3 - para que + SubjunctiveSo That (Purpose)
'Para que' (so that) is another common conjunction that requires the subjunctive when the subjects of the two clauses are different. Both patterns show a dependency between two clauses, one for purpose ('para que') and one for timing ('antes de que').
Level 3 - -e/-es/-e/-emos/-éis/-enPresent Subjunctive -AR
This pattern explains how to form the present subjunctive for -AR verbs, which is essential for correctly using 'antes de que' in sentences like '...antes de que él hable'.
Level 3 - -ara/-aras/-ara/-áramos/-arais/-aranImperfect Subjunctive -AR (-ra)
The imperfect subjunctive commonly places the later event in a past narrative, as in antes de que llegaran.
Level 4
Words in This Pattern
Practice antes de que + Subjunctive in Bubblegum
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