Necesito vaciar esta caja antes de poder guardarla en el armario.

I need to empty this box before I can store it in the closet.

Breakdown of Necesito vaciar esta caja antes de poder guardarla en el armario.

• yo: I
• en: in
• el: the
• necesitar: to need
• antes de: before
• esta: this
• poder: to be able to
• guardar: to store
• vaciar: to empty
• la caja: the box
• el armario: the closet

Questions & Answers about Necesito vaciar esta caja antes de poder guardarla en el armario.

Why is antes de poder used here instead of something like antes que poder?

In Spanish, antes de is the correct phrase when you want to say before doing something. Antes de poder literally means before being able to, and it is the standard way to introduce an infinitive action that you need to do first.

Does vaciar need any extra words after it to specify what is being emptied?

You can simply say vaciar to refer to emptying something of its contents, so vaciar esta caja is enough to mean empty this box completely. If you want to stress what you are removing, you might say vaciar la caja de juguetes (empty the box of toys), for example.

Why do we say guardarla as one word rather than guardar la as two words?

In Spanish, when a direct object pronoun (like la) refers back to something (in this case, the box), it often attaches to the infinitive as a single word: guardarla (to store it). Writing guardar la separately is understandable but less common in this type of construction.

Is there a difference between necesito and tengo que in this context?

Both necesito vaciar and tengo que vaciar are valid and very close in meaning: I need to empty vs. I have to empty. Necesito emphasizes the need from your own perspective, while tengo que is more about an obligation. In everyday conversation, they can often be used interchangeably.

Is there any special grammar rule about using an infinitive after antes de?

Yes. In Spanish, when you use antes de (or después de) to convey before/after [doing something], you follow it with an infinitive. For example, antes de comer (before eating) or después de terminar (after finishing). This is why antes de poder is formed with the infinitive poder.