Не успел дирижёр поднять руки, как хор запел.

the hand

Breakdown of Не успел дирижёр поднять руки, как хор запел.

• не успеть ... как: hardly ... when
• дирижёр: the conductor
• поднять: to raise

Questions & Answers about Не успел дирижёр поднять руки, как хор запел.

What does the pattern не успел ..., как ... mean?

This is a very common Russian pattern meaning no sooner had X happened than Y happened or before X could happen, Y already happened.

So:

Не успел дирижёр поднять руки, как хор запел.
= The conductor had barely raised his hands when the choir began to sing.

Literally, не успел means did not manage / did not have time, but in this construction it often expresses that the second action happened almost immediately after the first one started or was about to happen.

A rough English equivalent is:

• No sooner had the conductor raised his hands than the choir started singing.
• The conductor had barely raised his hands when the choir began to sing.

Why is успел in the masculine singular past tense?