Breakdown of Avant d'utiliser la scie, le menuisier vérifie si le bois est massif.
être
to be
utiliser
to use
vérifier
to check
si
if
le bois
the wood
avant de
before (+ infinitive)
le menuisier
the carpenter
massif
solid (wood, gold, massive)
la scie
the saw
Questions & Answers about Avant d'utiliser la scie, le menuisier vérifie si le bois est massif.
Why do we use avant d'utiliser instead of avant qu'il utilise?
When the subject is the same for both actions (the carpenter is both using the saw and checking the wood), French requires avant de plus the infinitive. You only use avant que (which triggers the subjunctive) when there are two different subjects.
Can I translate "Before using" literally as avant utilisant?
No, you cannot use the present participle (utilisant) after avant in French. To express "before doing something", you must always use avant de followed by the infinitive.
Does massif mean the wood is huge or heavy?
Not here. While massif can mean massive or huge, when describing materials like wood or jewelry, it translates to "solid". Bois massif means solid wood, as opposed to plywood or veneer.
Why is est in the indicative and not the subjunctive after si?
The conjunction si (whether or if) never takes the subjunctive. Even though the carpenter is checking an unknown fact, which might feel like it requires the subjunctive, si is always followed by an indicative tense.
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