Breakdown of Bevor wir anfangen, vergesse ich immer den Text für meine Rolle.
ich
I
wir
we
immer
always
vergessen
to forget
mein
my
anfangen
to start
für
for
bevor
before
der Text
the lines / the text
die Rolle
the role
Questions & Answers about Bevor wir anfangen, vergesse ich immer den Text für meine Rolle.
Why is the verb anfangen at the very end of the first part?
Bevor (before) is a subordinating conjunction. Words like this create a dependent clause, which means they "kick" the conjugated verb (anfangen) to the very end of their part of the sentence, right before the comma.
Why does the second part of the sentence start with the verb vergesse?
The entire first part of the sentence (Bevor wir anfangen) acts as one big block in "position 1". In a German main clause, the verb must always be in position 2. So, the verb vergesse comes right after the comma, pushing the subject ich into position 3.
The English translation says "lines", but the German sentence uses den Text. Why is it singular?
In English, actors memorize their "lines" (plural), but German uses the singular noun der Text to refer to the entire spoken script or dialogue for a part. Since it is the direct object receiving the action of the verb, it changes to the masculine accusative form den Text.
Why is it meine Rolle instead of meiner Rolle after für?
The preposition für always requires the accusative case. Because Rolle (role/part) is a feminine noun, its accusative possessive form is simply meine.
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