Breakdown of Antes de que compres una moto, deberías aprender bien las reglas de seguridad.
Questions & Answers about Antes de que compres una moto, deberías aprender bien las reglas de seguridad.
There are a few things going on here:
“antes de que” + verb
- When you say “before (someone) does something”, Spanish generally uses:
antes de que + [subjunctive]
→ antes de que compres = before you buy. - Because the subject is “you” and we’re talking about a future / not-yet-real action, Spanish uses the subjunctive (compres).
- When you say “before (someone) does something”, Spanish generally uses:
“antes de” + infinitive
- When the subject is the same in both parts, you can use antes de + infinitive:
- Antes de comprar una moto, deberías…
Literally: Before buying a motorbike, you should… - Here, you are the one buying and you are the one who should learn.
- Antes de comprar una moto, deberías…
- When the subject is the same in both parts, you can use antes de + infinitive:
Why not “antes que compras”?
- After antes de que, Spanish does not use the indicative (compras) for future/hypothetical actions.
- “antes que compras” is ungrammatical in this sense.
In short:
- antes de que + subjunctive = before (someone) does…
- antes de + infinitive = before doing… (same subject)
Because of “antes de que”.
In Spanish, when you talk about something that hasn’t happened yet and is seen as hypothetical or not yet real, after certain expressions you use the subjunctive.
“Antes de que” is one of those expressions. So:
- Antes de que compres una moto…
(Before you buy a motorbike… — future / not yet done)
→ compres (present subjunctive)
If it referred to something that is a fact or has already happened, you might use a different construction (e.g. después de que compraste… with indicative). But with antes de que and a future action, subjunctive is required.
Both are correct, but they differ in tone:
- deberías aprender = you *should learn
- *Conditional
- debes aprender = you *must / have to learn
- *Present indicative
In everyday Latin American Spanish:
- deberías = It would be a good idea if you learned.
- debes = You have to learn / You must learn.
The sentence uses deberías because it’s giving friendly advice, not a strict command.
Here bien is an adverb meaning “well” or “properly / thoroughly”.
- aprender bien = to learn well / to learn properly
Placing bien after the verb is very natural in Spanish:
- aprender bien
- hablar bien (to speak well)
- hacerlo bien (to do it well)
It can sometimes also add a sense of “really / thoroughly”:
- aprender bien las reglas = learn the rules properly / really get them down.
So “deberías aprender bien las reglas de seguridad” suggests not just learning them, but learning them correctly and in depth.
Because “moto” is feminine in Spanish:
- la moto / una moto
This is because moto is short for motocicleta, which is feminine:
- la motocicleta → la moto
Native speakers almost always say moto, but it keeps the feminine gender of the full word. So:
- una moto rápida
- esta moto
- comprar la moto
Yes, moto and motocicleta refer to the same thing (a motorcycle / motorbike).
- moto is far more common in everyday speech in Latin America.
- motocicleta sounds more formal or technical, and you might see it in:
- official documents
- traffic regulations
- insurance papers
In normal conversation, most people just say moto:
- Voy a comprar una moto.
- ¿Tienes moto?
Both are possible, but they have a slightly different feel:
las reglas de seguridad
→ more like “the safety rules” in general, as a set of known rules (helmet, signals, speed limits, etc.).
It sounds a bit more specific or complete.reglas de seguridad (no article)
→ more like talking about safety rules in general or some safety rules, not necessarily a fixed set.
In this sentence, “las reglas de seguridad” suggests:
- There is a clear, established group of safety rules you should learn well before buying the motorbike.
You could, but it sounds less natural here.
- las reglas de seguridad
= the safety rules (standard collocation in Spanish) - las reglas de la seguridad
= the rules of security (more abstract, more like talking about “security” as a general concept)
For everyday ideas like “safety rules”, Spanish usually prefers:
- reglas de seguridad vial (road safety rules)
- normas de seguridad (safety regulations)
So in this sentence, “las reglas de seguridad” is the most natural.
“Antes de que compres una moto, deberías aprender…” uses a comma because the sentence begins with a dependent clause (“Before you buy a motorbike”).
In Spanish, it’s standard to put a comma after an introductory clause:
- Cuando llegues, llámame.
- Si tienes tiempo, ven a verme.
- Antes de que compres una moto, deberías…
If you reverse the order, you normally don’t put a comma:
- Deberías aprender bien las reglas de seguridad antes de que compres una moto.
So the comma is:
- correct and recommended in the original order
- not used if the main clause comes first.
Yes, you can say that, and the meaning is basically the same.
- Antes de que compres una moto, deberías aprender…
- Deberías aprender… antes de que compres una moto.
Both mean: Before you buy a motorbike, you should learn the safety rules well.
The difference is only in emphasis:
- Starting with “Antes de que compres una moto” puts more focus on the condition / the time.
- Starting with “Deberías aprender” puts slightly more focus on the advice itself.
Yes, that sentence is correct and very natural:
- Antes de comprar una moto, deberías aprender bien las reglas de seguridad.
Difference:
Antes de que compres…
- Structure: antes de que + subjunctive
- Explicit subject: you (comprar = you buy).
- Focuses on “before you do X”.
Antes de comprar…
- Structure: antes de + infinitive
- Implied subject: the same as the main clause (you).
- Feels slightly more neutral and compact, like before buying a motorbike.
Both are correct. In everyday speech, “antes de + infinitive” is extremely common when the subject is the same in both parts.
In Spanish, the present subjunctive is also used for many future actions, especially when they are:
- uncertain
- hypothetical
- not yet realized
With time expressions like:
- cuando (when)
- antes de que (before)
- después de que (sometimes)
- hasta que (until)
you often use present subjunctive for future time:
- Cuando llegues, avísame. (When you arrive…)
- Antes de que compres una moto, deberías… (Before you buy…)
- Hasta que termines, no salgas. (Until you finish…)
So present subjunctive in form, future in meaning. That’s normal in Spanish.
Yes, but each option has a different tone:
deberías aprender…
- You should learn…
- Advice, polite, a bit soft.
tienes que aprender…
- You have to learn…
- Stronger obligation, more direct. Sounds like a rule or order.
hay que aprender…
- One has to learn… / You have to learn… / People have to learn…
- Impersonal; it’s like saying It is necessary to learn.
- Less like “I personally am telling you” and more like “That’s how things are.”
Example differences:
- Antes de que compres una moto, deberías aprender… (friendly advice)
- Antes de que compres una moto, tienes que aprender… (stronger, more like a requirement)
- Antes de comprar una moto, hay que aprender… (general statement about what people should do)
Because “regla” is a feminine noun:
- la regla / las reglas = the rule / the rules
You can’t use los with a feminine noun.
So:
- la regla de seguridad = the safety rule
- las reglas de seguridad = the safety rules
“Los reglas” would be incorrect; it must be “las reglas”.
“Reglas de seguridad” is perfectly understandable and correct, but you will also very often hear:
- normas de seguridad
- medidas de seguridad (safety measures)
Depending on context:
- reglas de seguridad → rules, things you must follow.
- normas de seguridad → often used officially (manuals, rules at work, traffic regulations).
- medidas de seguridad → the measures / actions taken for safety.
In this specific sentence, “las reglas de seguridad” is natural and clear, and a very normal way to express “the safety rules”.