Bevor wir losfahren, packe ich Sonnencreme und eine warme Wolldecke ein.

Before we leave, I pack sunscreen and a warm wool blanket.

Breakdown of Bevor wir losfahren, packe ich Sonnencreme und eine warme Wolldecke ein.

• und: and
• ich: I
• wir: we
• warm: warm

Questions & Answers about Bevor wir losfahren, packe ich Sonnencreme und eine warme Wolldecke ein.

What is the role of Bevor in the sentence, and why is losfahren not split into fahren … los?

Bevor is a subordinating conjunction meaning “before.” In German subordinate clauses introduced by words like bevor, the finite verb must go to the very end. Separable-prefix verbs such as losfahren stay together in that final position, which is why you see losfahren rather than fahren … los.

Why does the main clause begin with packe instead of ich packe?

After a comma that closes a subordinate clause, the main clause in German treats its first word as position 1. Here that first word is the verb packe, so the subject ich follows in position 2. This “verb-first” inversion signals the start of the main clause.

What kind of verb is einpacken, and why does its prefix ein- appear at the end of the sentence?

Einpacken is a separable-prefix verb (trennbares Verb). In main clauses, the prefix ein- detaches from the stem packen and moves to the end of the clause. Hence:
… packe ich Sonnencreme … ein.

Why is there no article before Sonnencreme, while there is eine before warme Wolldecke?