Antes de que se haga de noche, quiero volver a casa.

Before it gets dark, I want to go back home.

Breakdown of Antes de que se haga de noche, quiero volver a casa.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• la casa: the house
• a: to

Questions & Answers about Antes de que se haga de noche, quiero volver a casa.

Why is it antes de que and not just antes de?

Because antes de que is used before a conjugated verb:

• Antes de que se haga de noche = before it gets dark

By contrast, antes de is used before a noun or an infinitive:

• antes de la cena = before dinner
• antes de salir = before leaving

So in your sentence, since se haga is a full verb form, de que is needed.

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Why is haga in the subjunctive?

Because antes de que normally triggers the subjunctive when the action is still in the future or has not happened yet from the speaker’s point of view.

Here, getting dark is something expected to happen later, so Spanish uses the subjunctive:

• Antes de que se haga de noche...

Not:

• Antes de que se hace de noche ❌

This is a very common pattern:

• antes de que llegues = before you arrive
• antes de que empiece = before it starts
• antes de que anochezca = before night falls

Also, haga is the present subjunctive of hacer, which is irregular:

• yo haga
• tú hagas
• él/ella haga

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