Breakdown of Je regarde l’écran avant d’envoyer un message.
Questions & Answers about Je regarde l’écran avant d’envoyer un message.
After avant de, French always uses the infinitive because both actions share the same subject (je). The structure is:
• avant de + [infinitive] when the subjects don’t change.
If you change the subject, you must use avant que + subjunctive.
Yes, but when you use avant que, you must switch to the subjunctive: avant que j’envoie. So you’d get:
Je regarde l’écran avant que j’envoie un message.
However, avant de + infinitive is more common and simpler when the subject stays je.
• avant de + infinitive:
– Use when the subject of both verbs is the same.
– Very common in everyday speech and writing.
• avant que + subjunctive:
– Required when the subject changes (e.g., avant que tu partes).
– Sometimes used for stylistic or formal reasons even if the subject is the same.