Questions & Answers about Abans de marxar, la meva filla vol fer un petó a la seva àvia.
Why does the sentence start with Abans de marxar?
Abans de marxar means before leaving or before she leaves.
Catalan often uses abans de + infinitive to say before doing something:
- abans de marxar = before leaving
- abans de menjar = before eating
- abans de dormir = before sleeping
This is a very common structure. In English, we often use before + -ing or before + clause, but in Catalan the infinitive is the normal choice here.
Why is it de marxar and not just abans marxar?
Because abans normally takes de before an infinitive.
So the pattern is:
- abans de + infinitive
Examples:
- Abans de sortir = before going out
- Abans de parlar = before speaking
- Abans de marxar = before leaving
Without de, it would sound ungrammatical in standard Catalan.
What does marxar mean exactly?
Marxar usually means to leave, to go away, or to depart.
Depending on context, it can translate differently in English:
- He de marxar = I have to leave
- Ja marxa = He/She is leaving now
- Abans de marxar = Before leaving
It is a very common everyday verb in Catalan.