Πριν ανοίξω τη ζύμη με τον πλάστη, βάζω λαδόκολλα στο ταψί.

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Breakdown of Πριν ανοίξω τη ζύμη με τον πλάστη, βάζω λαδόκολλα στο ταψί.

• πριν: before
• σε: in
• βάζω: to put

Questions & Answers about Πριν ανοίξω τη ζύμη με τον πλάστη, βάζω λαδόκολλα στο ταψί.

Why does ανοίγω seem to mean roll out here? I thought it meant open.

That’s a very common question. Ανοίγω literally often means open, but with ζύμη it has a cooking-specific meaning: to roll out or spread out the dough.

So:

• ανοίγω την πόρτα = I open the door
• ανοίγω τη ζύμη = I roll out the dough

Greek often uses the same verb in a broader way than English does, and the exact meaning depends on the object.

Why is it πριν ανοίξω and not πριν ανοίγω?

After πριν meaning before, Greek normally uses the subjunctive, and here that gives ανοίξω.

So:

• πριν ανοίξω = before I roll out

This is the aorist subjunctive, which is commonly used for a single, complete action. Rolling out the dough is viewed here as one whole step in the process.

So even though ανοίξω may look like a past form to learners, it is not past here. It means something like before I roll out.

Is πριν να ανοίξω also possible?

Yes. You can say:

• Πριν ανοίξω τη ζύμη...
• Πριν να ανοίξω τη ζύμη...