Learn Hardcore Russian: Мама надевает перчатки перед выходом из дома. - Mom puts on gloves before leaving the house.

Надевает is the 3rd person singular present tense of the imperfective verb надевать, which means “to put on” (an item of clothing such as gloves, hats, etc.). The imperfective aspect indicates a habitual, repeated, or ongoing action.

What’s the difference between надевать and одевать?

Although both relate to clothing, надевать means “to put on” a specific piece of clothing on yourself (or someone else), e.g. мама надевает перчатки (“mom puts on gloves”). Одевать means “to dress” in a broader sense, usually someone else or a full set of garments, e.g. мама одевает ребёнка (“mom dresses the child”).

Why is перчатки in the plural form instead of the singular?

Because gloves naturally come in pairs, Russian uses the plural when referring to a set of items that function together—similar to штаны (“pants”) or ножницы (“scissors”).

Why do we say перед выходом with выходом in the instrumental case?

The preposition перед (“before”) requires the instrumental case. The noun выход (“exit” or “leaving”) becomes выходом, giving “before leaving” or more literally “before the exit.”

Why is it из дома and not с дома?

The preposition из (“out of”) is used with the genitive case to express movement from inside a place. Hence из дома (“from the house”). The preposition с with genitive typically indicates movement off a surface (e.g. с крыши “from the roof”).

Can I say перед тем как выйти из дома instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. Перед тем как выйти из дома is a subordinate clause meaning “before (she) goes out of the house.” Using перед тем как + infinitive highlights the action itself, while перед выходом is a noun phrase meaning “before the leaving/exit.” Both are correct and interchangeable in this context.

Is the word order fixed in this sentence? Could I say Перед выходом из дома мама надевает перчатки?

Russian allows fairly free word order. You can start with Перед выходом из дома to emphasize the time. The neutral, unmarked order is Subject–Verb–Object (“Мама надевает перчатки…”), but moving phrases around for emphasis is perfectly acceptable.

Where is the stress in надевает and перчатки?

In надевает, the stress falls on the third syllable: на-де-ва́-ет. In перчатки, the stress is on the first syllable: пе́р-чат-ки.