Перед уходом я подмету пол в прихожей.

Before leaving, I will sweep the floor in the entryway.

Breakdown of Перед уходом я подмету пол в прихожей.

• я: I
• в: in
• перед: before
• пол: the floor

Questions & Answers about Перед уходом я подмету пол в прихожей.

Why is уходом in the instrumental case?

Because перед normally takes the instrumental when it means before or in front of.

So:

• уход = departure / leaving
• перед уходом = before leaving / before the departure

This is a very common pattern:

• перед сном = before sleep / before going to bed
• перед работой = before work
• перед встречей = before the meeting

So the case here is controlled by the preposition перед.

Why does Russian use перед уходом instead of a verb phrase like before I leave?

Russian often uses a noun phrase where English would use a clause.

So instead of saying something like before I leave, Russian can say:

• перед уходом = literally before departure / before leaving

This is compact and very natural.

A more clause-like version is also possible:

• Перед тем, как я уйду, я подмету пол в прихожей.

That means almost the same thing, but it is longer and a bit more explicit. In everyday speech, перед уходом is often the simpler, more natural choice.

Why is the verb подмету and not буду подметать?