Las Tiendas a Lado De La Calle: Antes de y Antes De Que

Las Tiendas a Lado De La Calle: Antes de y Antes De Que

The sky is dark before the sun comes up.
El cielo está oscuro antes de que el sol salga.
Antes de que el sol salga, el cielo está oscuro.

• salir; present subjunctive third person -> salga

Before it rains, clouds need to form.
Antes de que llueva, las nubes necesitan formarse.
Las nubes necesitan formarse antes de que llueva.

You read the sign before you go in.
Lees el signo antes de entrar.
Antes de entrar, lees el signo.

The sign should be clean before it gets put out on the sidewalk.
El letrero debería estar limpio antes de que lo saquen a la banqueta.
Antes de que lo saquen a la banqueta, el letrero debería estar limpio.

• el letrero = sign (more natural than signo here)
• limpio = third person present for it (the sign)
• antes de que = trigger because:
  • You don’t name the second actor, but Spanish still treats it as a separate agent — the “they” who puts the sign out. That’s enough to trigger antes de que + subjunctive.
• saquen = they (the unknown second party) put it out → subjunctive of sacar
• a la banqueta = to the sidewalk (Mexican usage)

Before the plant was watered, it was dying.
Antes de que la planta fuera regada, se estaba muriendo.
La planta se estaba muriendo, antes de que fuera regada

• Was watered implies second party for subjunctive in first clause
• morirse (reflexive) = to die off, to wither, to fade (more natural for plants, gradual or emotional)

I think I should have something to eat before I have a glass of wine.
Creo que debería comer algo antes de tomar una copa de vino.

The shops close before it gets dark.
Las tiendas cierran antes de que oscurezca.
Antes de que oscurezca, las tiendas cierran.

• 2 agents: shops and sunset triggers subjunctive
• Oscurecer; = to get dark (like the sky, not turning off a light)
  • Present subjunctive form: oscurezca
• It comes from a -er verb but ends in -zca because of a spelling rule — just like:
  • conocer → conozca
  • obedecer → obedezca
  • oscurecer → oscurezca

I always wipe my feet before I enter a shop.
Siempre me limpio los pies antes de entrar a una tienda.

I forgot to unlock the door before I opened the shop!
Olvidé desbloquear la puerta antes de abrir la tienda.

• Desbloquear; unlock

Spring comes before summer.
La primavera llega antes del verano.

• One subject (la primavera)
• No second action or verb
• Just a sequence of nouns → no que, no subjunctive