Breakdown of Avant de signer, je veux savoir si la propriétaire accepte mon garant.
je
I
mon
my
vouloir
to want
avant de
before
Questions & Answers about Avant de signer, je veux savoir si la propriétaire accepte mon garant.
Why is it avant de signer and not just avant signer?
Because after avant when it means before doing something, French normally uses de + infinitive.
- avant de signer = before signing
- avant de partir = before leaving
- avant de manger = before eating
So avant signer is not correct in standard French.
Why is signer in the infinitive instead of a conjugated form?
Because avant de is followed by an infinitive when the subject is understood in a general way or is the same as the main clause.
Here, signer means to sign. French is expressing the action in a non-conjugated form:
If French uses a full clause with its own subject, it often uses avant que instead:
- Avant qu’il signe... = Before he signs...
Why is there si after je veux savoir?