When planning events like a wedding or an engagement party, timing is everything! To express that one action happens before another, Farsi uses the phrase قبل از اینکه.
Because the event in the "before" clause hasn't happened yet at the time of the main action, the verb following قبل از اینکه must be in the present subjunctive mood.
Present and Future Actions
When talking about routines, commands, or future obligations, the main verb takes the indicative or imperative, while the verb after قبل از اینکه takes the subjunctive.
| Before the guests arrive, I must reserve the hall. | قبل از اینکه مهمانها بیایند، باید تالار را رزرو کنم.ghabl az in-ke mehmân-hâ biyâyand, bâyad tâlâr râ rezerv konam. |
| Before my brother orders the cake, he writes the guest list. | برادر من قبل از اینکه کیک را سفارش بدهد، لیست مهمانها را مینویسد.barâdar-e man qabl az in-ke keyk râ sefâresh bedahad, list mehmân-hâ râ mi-nevisad. |
You can place the قبل از اینکه clause at the beginning of the sentence, or in the middle. The grammar remains exactly the same.
| We cut the cake before they eat dinner. | ما قبل از اینکه آنها شام بخورند، کیک را میبریم.mâ qabl az inke ânhâ shâm bokhorand, keyk râ mibarim. |
| Order the cake before you go to the wedding! | قبل از اینکه به عروسی بروید، کیک را سفارش بدهید!qabl az inke be arusi beravid, keyk râ sefâresh bedahid! |
Talking About the Past
Here is a very important rule: even if the main action happened in the past, the verb following قبل از اینکه still uses the present subjunctive!
In English, we change both verbs to the past tense (for example, "before we wrote"). In Farsi, the main verb does the heavy lifting to show that the event is already over, while the "before" clause stays in the present subjunctive mood.
| Did you reserve the hall before we wrote the list? | آیا قبل از اینکه لیست را بنویسیم، تالار را رزرو کردی؟âyâ ghabl az inke list râ benevisim, tâlâr râ rezerv kardi? |
| Did you reserve the salon before you went to the hall? | آیا قبل از اینکه به تالار بروید، آرایشگاه را رزرو کردید؟âyâ qabl az in-ke be tâlâr beravid, ârâyeshgâh râ rezerv kardid? |
