Przed wyjazdem sprawdzam, czy mamy jeszcze paliwo.

Before the trip, I check whether we still have fuel.

Breakdown of Przed wyjazdem sprawdzam, czy mamy jeszcze paliwo.

• ja: I
• mieć: to have
• przed: before
• my: we

Questions & Answers about Przed wyjazdem sprawdzam, czy mamy jeszcze paliwo.

Why is it przed wyjazdem and not przed wyjazd?

Because przed normally takes the instrumental case when it means before in a time expression.

So:

• wyjazd = departure / leaving / trip away
• przed wyjazdem = before the departure / before leaving

The ending -em shows the instrumental singular of wyjazd.

A few similar examples:

• przed obiadem = before lunch
• przed lekcją = before the lesson
• przed snem = before sleep / before going to sleep

So this is a standard case pattern, not something special about this one sentence.

What exactly does wyjazd mean here?

Wyjazd is a noun meaning departure, leaving, or a trip away.

It comes from the verb wyjechać = to leave / go away by vehicle, often with the idea of going somewhere away from your usual place.

In this sentence, przed wyjazdem is best understood as:

• before leaving
• before the trip
• before departure

It does not have to sound as formal as English departure. In everyday Polish, wyjazd is very common.