Pre nego što platim iznos, proveriću obračun.

It means before and introduces a subordinate clause.

So:

• Pre nego što platim iznos = Before I pay the amount

A useful thing to know is that pre nego što is a fixed expression. It is best learned as one unit, rather than translated word by word.

Because in Serbian, after time expressions like pre nego što, kad, čim, and similar conjunctions, a future action is often expressed with the present tense, not the future tense.

So:

• pre nego što platim = before I pay
• not usually pre nego što platiću

This is very normal Serbian grammar. English uses present here too in many cases: Before I pay, I’ll check...

This is about aspect.

• platiti → perfective → to pay, as a single completed act
• plaćati → imperfective → to be paying / to pay repeatedly / habitually

Here the sentence refers to one completed payment, so platim from platiti is the natural choice.

Compare:

• Pre nego što platim iznos... = before I make that payment
• Dok plaćam... would suggest an ongoing process of paying

Proveriću is the future tense of proveriti and means I will check.

The sentence has this structure:

• subordinate clause: Pre nego što platim iznos
• main clause: proveriću obračun

So the speaker is saying what they will do: they will check the statement/calculation before paying.

Also, proveriti is perfective, which fits a single completed check.

This is a standard way of writing the Serbian future tense.

You can think of these as equivalent:

• Ja ću proveriti obračun.
• Proveriću obračun.

When the future auxiliary ću comes after the verb in this form, it joins with it in writing: proveriću.

Also, a clitic like ću normally cannot stand at the very beginning of a clause by itself, so you would not say:

• Ću proveriti obračun. ✘

That is why Proveriću... is natural here.

Because both actions are viewed as single completed events:

• platim = I complete the payment
• proveriću = I will complete the checking

Perfective verbs are very common when talking about a sequence of one-time actions in the future.

If you used imperfective forms, the meaning would shift toward process, repetition, or habit.

Because Serbian usually drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already makes the subject clear.

Here:

• platim clearly means I pay
• proveriću clearly means I will check

So ja is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example:

• Ja ću proveriti obračun, a ti plati. = I will check the statement, and you pay.

Because they are direct objects in the accusative case, and for masculine inanimate singular nouns, the accusative often looks exactly like the nominative.

So:

• iznos → nominative singular
• iznos → accusative singular

and:

• obračun → nominative singular
• obračun → accusative singular

That is why there is no visible change here.

Iznos means amount or sum.

In this sentence, it refers to the amount of money to be paid.

It is a bit more formal or precise than a vague word like novac (money). It focuses on the specified amount, not money in general.

Not exactly.

Obračun often means something like:

• calculation
• breakdown
• statement
• settlement
• computed charge

Depending on context, it can refer to a financial calculation or itemized statement.

Račun is broader and very common for:

• bill
• invoice
• receipt
• account
• check in a restaurant

So in this sentence, obračun suggests the speaker wants to check the calculation or breakdown of the amount, not just look at a bill in a general sense.

Because the sentence begins with a subordinate clause:

• Pre nego što platim iznos, ...

In Serbian, when this kind of dependent clause comes before the main clause, it is normally separated by a comma.

So the comma here is standard and expected.

Yes. Serbian word order is fairly flexible.

You could also say:

• Proveriću obračun pre nego što platim iznos.

This means essentially the same thing.

The version with Pre nego što... first puts more focus on the time relationship: first checking, then paying.

Because Serbian has no articles.

So nouns like iznos and obračun can mean:

• an amount / the amount
• a calculation / the calculation

Which one is meant depends on context.

That is completely normal in Serbian, and learners have to get used to relying on context instead of articles.