Post by Robie on Nov 20, 2006 17:42:59 GMT -3
Have you ever noticed that the more you know about something the more holes you see in that knowledge? Well, I'm still struggling with knowing - without a doubt - when to use antes/después de vs. antes/después (de) que. Today, I got a newsletter from one of the many vendors of spanish language programs and their question/answer section had this question too. I think this finally provided that "ah hah!" moment I've been waiting for. So, after copying in part of their Question/Answer I will summarize to see if I finally understand it.
Question: My question pertains to the use of "before" and "after" and most specifically the use of the words "de" or "que" with the words "antes" y "despues". When do you use antes de and when antes que? Same with despues de vs. despues que. How about the use of antes de que??? Here are a few example sentences:
Before the children can have dessert, they have to finish their vegetables.
Before I left for work, I made an important telephone call.
I am going to try on the bathing suit before I buy it.
Answer:
To give you a simple answer, you usually use "antes de/después de" when the next word would have an "ing" ending in English. For example, "antes de comer" would be "before eating" and "después de salir" would be "after leaving".
You usually use "antes que/después que" when you are talking about a specific person directly after, for example "before he goes" or "after she eats".
For now without going super in-depth, basically "antes que" and "antes de que" are basically interchangeable.
My interpretation:
In general, you can use "antes que" and "antes (de) que" interchangeably but they translate slightly differently when you do.
For instance in the original sample sentences
Before the children can have dessert, they have to finish their vegetables. <<< This is an "antes de que" situation.
But if I changed it slightly to read:
Before eating desert, they have to finish their vegetables. <<< I now have an "antes de" situation.
Before I left for work, I made an important telephone call. = Antes de que, but
Before leaving for work, I made an important telephone call = Antes de
I am going to try on the bathing suit before I buy it. = Antes de que, but
I am going to try on the bathing suit before buying it = Antes de
And two other small points that aren't documented but I want to make sure I understand this completely:
1) In "Antes de que" or "Después de que", the "de" is option. So it could be "antes que" or "después que"
2) The verb conjugations are totally different.
"Antes de" or "Después de" + infinitive or
"Antes (de) que" or "Después (de) que" + past subjuntive
Someone please tell me my understanding is finally correct so I can find something different to dwell on for awhile!
Robie
Question: My question pertains to the use of "before" and "after" and most specifically the use of the words "de" or "que" with the words "antes" y "despues". When do you use antes de and when antes que? Same with despues de vs. despues que. How about the use of antes de que??? Here are a few example sentences:
Before the children can have dessert, they have to finish their vegetables.
Before I left for work, I made an important telephone call.
I am going to try on the bathing suit before I buy it.
Answer:
To give you a simple answer, you usually use "antes de/después de" when the next word would have an "ing" ending in English. For example, "antes de comer" would be "before eating" and "después de salir" would be "after leaving".
You usually use "antes que/después que" when you are talking about a specific person directly after, for example "before he goes" or "after she eats".
For now without going super in-depth, basically "antes que" and "antes de que" are basically interchangeable.
My interpretation:
In general, you can use "antes que" and "antes (de) que" interchangeably but they translate slightly differently when you do.
For instance in the original sample sentences
Before the children can have dessert, they have to finish their vegetables. <<< This is an "antes de que" situation.
But if I changed it slightly to read:
Before eating desert, they have to finish their vegetables. <<< I now have an "antes de" situation.
Before I left for work, I made an important telephone call. = Antes de que, but
Before leaving for work, I made an important telephone call = Antes de
I am going to try on the bathing suit before I buy it. = Antes de que, but
I am going to try on the bathing suit before buying it = Antes de
And two other small points that aren't documented but I want to make sure I understand this completely:
1) In "Antes de que" or "Después de que", the "de" is option. So it could be "antes que" or "después que"
2) The verb conjugations are totally different.
"Antes de" or "Después de" + infinitive or
"Antes (de) que" or "Después (de) que" + past subjuntive
Someone please tell me my understanding is finally correct so I can find something different to dwell on for awhile!
Robie
