innan

Before

Level 2

Use innan to say that one action happens before another. It connects two clauses, like 'before' in English.

How It Works

Innan is a temporal subjunction used to sequence events. It introduces a subordinate clause, which means the word order within that clause follows the BIFF rule. This is most noticeable with adverbs like 'inte' (not), which are placed before the verb in a subordinate clause.

Timeline of Events:
Innan locates the main-clause situation earlier than the time given by the subordinate clause. It does not by itself require a completed action: Jag var trött innan mötet började describes an earlier state, which may continue. Future or prevented events need not actually occur.

  • Vi äter middag innan vi ser en film. (We eat dinner before we watch a movie.)
    First: Eat dinner. Second: Watch a movie.

Tense Usage:
When talking about the future, Swedish often uses the present tense in the innan-clause, just like in English.

  • Jag ska ringa dig innan jag går hemifrån. (I will call you before I leave home.)

Before a full clause, use innan. Före can introduce a noun phrase, and innan can also be a time preposition: both före middagen and innan middagen are possible. The latter is sometimes perceived as more conversational.

  • Innan: Jag måste handla innan jag åker hem. (I must shop before I go home.)
  • Före: Jag måste handla före middagen. (I must shop before dinner.)

Meaning and Usage Contrast
Jag dricker kaffe före jag börjar jobba. / Jag dricker kaffe innan jag börjar jobba.
Use innan to introduce this clause. Before a noun phrase, both före jobbet and innan jobbet are possible. Clause-introducing före occurs regionally, especially in Finland Swedish, but is not the general standard pattern.

Examples (5)

  1. Jag borstar tänderna innan jag går och lägger mig.

    I brush my teeth before I go to bed.

    Word by Word: I brush the-teeth before I go and lay myself.

  2. Vi måste köpa biljetter innan vi åker till konserten.

    We have to buy tickets before we go to the concert.

    Word by Word: We must buy tickets before we travel to the-concert.

  3. Hon läste boken innan hon såg filmen.

    She read the book before she saw the movie.

    Word by Word: She read the-book before she saw the-movie.

  4. Stäng fönstret innan det börjar regna!

    Close the window before it starts to rain!

    Word by Word: Close the-window before it begins to rain!

  5. Tänk efter innan du svarar.

    Think before you answer.

    Word by Word: Think after before you answer.

    The main-clause command Tänk efter has an understood du. In the subordinate clause innan du svarar, the subject du is explicitly present and is not omitted.

Common Mistakes

  • Using main clause word order in the 'innan' clause.

    Säg det innan han kan inte höra dig.
    Säg det innan han inte kan höra dig.

    In this example, meaning “Say it before he can no longer hear you”, inte precedes finite kan in the subordinate clause. A clearer everyday formulation is Säg det medan han fortfarande kan höra dig (Say it while he can still hear you).

How It Connects

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

innanLevel 2Before

Learn This First

To use 'innan' (before) correctly as a conjunction, you need to understand how Swedish subordinate clauses are structured, particularly regarding word order. You also need a solid grasp of basic verb tenses to correctly sequence the events being described.

Words in This Pattern

innan