Learn Hardcore French: Appelle-moi avant le repas.

Appelle-moi is an imperative form—it's a direct command telling someone to call you. In standard French, Tu m’appelles simply states You are calling me (as a statement), while Appelle-moi means Call me! (as an order or request).

What does moi mean here, and why is it used instead of me?

In French, moi is the disjunctive pronoun for the first person singular (I/me). After an imperative like Appelle, you use moi rather than me for emphasis and clarity. Essentially, moi stands on its own as a strong pronoun, whereas me typically appears attached to a verb in regular sentence constructions.

Is avant always followed by le in similar contexts?

Not necessarily. Avant can be followed by different structures depending on the context. You might see something like avant le repas (before the meal), or avant de manger (before eating). Whether or not you use le depends on if you are talking about a specific noun (like the meal) or introducing a verb (like to eat).

Can Appelle-moi avant le repas be used in any time of the day context?

Yes, it’s quite flexible. Le repas is a generic term for the meal, which could be breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you need to be specific, you’d replace le repas with the actual meal in question, such as avant le déjeuner (before lunch) or avant le dîner (before dinner).

What if I want to make it more formal?

To address someone politely or in a more formal way, use Appelez-moi instead of Appelle-moi (switching to the vous form). So you’d say Appelez-moi avant le repas to someone you don’t know well or in a formal setting.