Learn Hardcore French: Parle-moi de ton projet avant que nous prenions une décision. - Tell me about your project before we make a decision.

Parle-moi = Talk to me
NOT Parles-moi, because the -s is removed in the imperative for tu with regular -er verbs (except when followed by en or y: Parles-en !).

Why is there a hyphen in Parle-moi instead of writing Parle moi?

With the imperative and object pronouns, French uses a hyphen between the verb and the pronoun:

Parle-moi. – Talk to me.
Donne-lui le livre. – Give him/her the book.
Dites-nous la vérité. – Tell us the truth.

This hyphen is obligatory in spelling. Writing Parle moi without a hyphen is incorrect in standard French.

Why is it Parle-moi de ton projet and not just Parle-moi ton projet?

The verb parler works like this:

parler de quelque chose – to talk/speak about something
parler à quelqu’un – to talk/speak to someone

So you need de before the thing you’re talking about:

Parle-moi de ton projet. = Talk to me about your project.

Saying Parle-moi ton projet sounds like a direct object construction in English (Tell me your project), but in French parler doesn’t take a direct object in that sense. It always needs de with the subject matter.

Why is it avant que nous prenions and not avant que nous prenons?

Avant que is one of the conjunctions that require the subjunctive in French, because it introduces something that is not yet realized (it’s in the future or hypothetical).

Therefore you must use the subjunctive present:

nous prenons → indicative present
nous prenions → subjunctive present

After avant que, the indicative (nous prenons) is wrong in standard French. You must say:

avant que nous prenions une décision

How do I recognize that prenions is the subjunctive?

For prendre, the present subjunctive is:

que je prenne
que tu prennes
qu’il / elle / on prenne
que nous prenions
que vous preniez
qu’ils / elles prennent

The nous and vous forms of the subjunctive often look like the imperfect, but here you know it’s subjunctive because of the trigger avant que. The indicative present forms are:

nous prenons
vous prenez

So the -ions / -iez ending after a subjunctive trigger like avant que signals subjunctive.

Why is it avant que and not avant de?

You use:

avant que
- a full clause (with a subject and verb, subjunctive)
avant de
- infinitive

In your sentence, there is a new subject (nous), so you need avant que:

Parle-moi de ton projet avant que nous prenions une décision.

If the subject stayed the same, you would normally use avant de:

Parle-moi de ton projet avant de prendre une décision.
(the implied subject of “prendre” is the same as “parle” = “tu”)

So:

different / explicit subject → avant que
- subjunctive
same subject → avant de
- infinitive

Why is prenions in the present tense even though the decision is in the future?

In French, the subjunctive present is often used for actions that are future or not yet realized. English would often use a future tense:

before we make a decision

But French normally uses:

avant que nous prenions une décision

Using a future tense in that position (e.g. avant que nous prendrons) is incorrect; with avant que, the standard pattern is present subjunctive, regardless of the future meaning.

Could I say Parlez-moi de votre projet instead? What changes?

Yes:

Parle-moi de ton projet
– using tu (informal, singular) and ton
Parlez-moi de votre projet
– using vous (formal singular or plural) and votre

The meaning is the same, but:

tu / ton: informal, with one person you know well (friend, family, colleague you’re close to)
vous / votre: polite to one person you don’t know well, or to several people

Could I use Dis-moi instead of Parle-moi? What’s the difference?

Both are possible, but there’s a nuance:

Parle-moi de ton projet.
= Tell me / Talk to me about your project in a more general, extended way.
You expect a description, explanation, or discussion.
Dis-moi ton projet.
Sounds odd in French. Dire usually takes a specific piece of information:
- Dis-moi ce que tu veux faire. – Tell me what you want to do.
- Dis-moi ton idée. – Tell me your idea.

So in your sentence, Parle-moi de ton projet is the natural choice.

Why is it une décision and not la décision?

Une décision = a decision (non-specific, just “a” decision)
La décision = the decision (a specific decision already known or defined)

In this sentence, it’s about the act of deciding in general, not about one already identified decision, so French naturally uses une:

avant que nous prenions une décision
= before we make a decision (any decision / our decision)

You could say la décision, but then it would suggest a very specific, already-defined decision, and would sound less neutral in this context.

Can I put the avant que part at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, French allows you to move that clause to the front:

Avant que nous prenions une décision, parle-moi de ton projet.

This is perfectly correct and often used. The meaning doesn’t change; it just emphasizes the condition/time frame first.

Why is it nous prenions and not on prenne? Could I use on here?

You can use on instead of nous:

Parle-moi de ton projet avant qu’on prenne une décision.

Differences:

nous prenions
- more formal / neutral
- clear subject pronoun “we”
- subjunctive prenne → prenions for nous
on prenne
- more informal, very common in spoken French
- on usually = “we” in everyday speech
- verb stays 3rd person singular prenne

Both are grammatically correct; choice depends on register (formal vs informal).

How are the object pronouns ordered in Parle-moi de ton projet? Could it be Moi parle or Parle à moi?

In French, object pronouns have a fixed order and position:

With normal (non-imperative) verbs, pronouns go before the verb:
- Tu me parles de ton projet. – You talk to me about your project.
With the affirmative imperative, pronouns go after the verb with a hyphen, and the order is slightly different:
- Parle-moi de ton projet.

Saying:

Moi parle – incorrect word order
Parle à moi – technically understandable but sounds non-native and unnatural; use Parle-moi instead

So the correct natural forms are:

Tu me parles de ton projet. (normal statement)
Parle-moi de ton projet. (imperative)