Questions & Answers about Перед приёмом я положила медкарту в сумку рядом с паспортом.
It means before the appointment or before the consultation.
In a medical context, приём often means a doctor's appointment, consultation, or the time when a doctor sees a patient. So перед приёмом is naturally understood as before the appointment.
Because перед takes the instrumental case when it means before / in front of.
So:
- приём = nominative
- приёмом = instrumental singular
That is why you get:
- перед приёмом = before the appointment
This is a very common pattern:
- перед уроком = before the lesson
- перед встречей = before the meeting
- перед сном = before sleep / before going to bed
Because Russian past tense agrees with the gender of the subject.
- я положил = I put, if the speaker is male
- я положила = I put, if the speaker is female
So this sentence tells you that the speaker is female.