Questions & Answers about Je corrige l’article avant de l’envoyer.
Why is de necessary after avant, and how do I form “before doing something” in French?
When you want to put a verb after avant, French requires avant de + infinitive. You cannot say avant corriger; you must say avant de corriger. If avant is followed by a noun instead of a verb, you drop the de (for example, avant midi, avant le repas).
What’s the difference between avant de l’envoyer and avant que je ne l’envoie?
- avant de l’envoyer uses avant de
- infinitive, and it’s used when the subject stays the same (here je).
- avant que je ne l’envoie uses avant que
- subjunctive (j’envoie) with the expletive ne. It’s required when you have a subordinate clause with a finite verb (often if the subjects differ) or when you want to emphasize the uncertainty or formality.
Why is the object pronoun l’ placed before envoyer instead of after corrige?
In French, object pronouns always precede the verb they belong to. When there’s an infinitive, the pronoun goes immediately before that infinitive. Here, l’ refers to the object of envoyer, so it must sit directly before envoyer (not before corrige).