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Je ne mets jamais le chauffage avant l'hiver.

Je ne mets jamais le chauffage avant l'hiver.
I never put on the heating before winter.
From Lesson 170:Time clauses before an action (avant de)·French

Questions & Answers about Je ne mets jamais le chauffage avant l'hiver.

This lesson is about avant de. Why does this sentence just say avant l'hiver instead of avant de l'hiver?
You use avant de when it is followed by an infinitive verb (an unconjugated verb), such as avant de manger (before eating). Because l'hiver (winter) is a noun and not a verb, you only need the preposition avant.
Does the verb mettre mean "to turn on" in this context?
Exactly! While mettre literally means "to put", it is very frequently used in French to talk about turning on systems, appliances, or screens. Saying mettre le chauffage is just like saying "to put the heating on" in English. You could also use the verb allumer (to turn on/to light).
Why do we need the article l' before hiver? The English translation is just "before winter".
In French, seasons (le printemps, l'été, l'automne, l'hiver) generally require a definite article, especially when talking about the season as a general concept. While English drops the "the" in phrases like "before winter" or "during summer", French keeps it: avant l'hiver.
Just as a refresher, why isn't there a pas in je ne mets jamais?
Ne ... jamais (never) is a complete negative pair on its own. It replaces the standard ne ... pas. In French, you drop the pas when you use other negative words like jamais (never), rien (nothing), or personne (nobody).

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