Coge el libro antes de salir.

Take the book before leaving.

Breakdown of Coge el libro antes de salir.

• el libro: the book
• tú: you
• el: the
• antes de: before
• salir: to leave
• coger: to take

Questions & Answers about Coge el libro antes de salir.

Why is coge used instead of coges in this sentence?

Coge is the tú imperative form of the verb coger, used to give direct commands or orders (e.g., “Take the book!”). Coges would be the present indicative form (e.g., “You take the book”), which describes an action rather than giving a command.

Is it common to use coger in Spain, or should I use another verb?

In Spain, coger is very common and neutral for “taking” or “picking up.” However, in many Latin American countries, coger can have a vulgar meaning, so they prefer tomar, agarrar, or recoger instead. Since you’re learning Spanish from Spain, coger is perfectly acceptable and widely used.

Why is antes de followed by salir in the infinitive form?

In Spanish, when a preposition (like de) is followed by a verb, that verb generally remains in the infinitive. So we say antes de salir (“before leaving”) rather than antes de sales or antes de salgas.

Could this sentence be written with a different word order?

You might see variations like Antes de salir, coge el libro, but the core idea remains the same. Spanish word order can be flexible, especially with adverbial phrases like antes de salir. Placing it at the beginning can add emphasis to the idea of doing the action before leaving.

Do I need to use any pronouns here in Spanish?

Not typically, because the command form coge is already clear that you’re speaking to a single person (tú). In Spanish, subject pronouns (like tú or usted) are not required if the verb form already indicates who is being addressed.