Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.

Перед тим як means before or more literally before doing something / before the moment when.

In this sentence:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння = Before sowing seeds

It is a very common Ukrainian way to introduce an action that happens earlier than another one.

You can think of it as a set phrase:

• перед = before
• тим = that
• як = how / when

But as a learner, it is best to remember перед тим як as one chunk meaning before.

Because after Перед тим як, Ukrainian often uses the infinitive when the subject is general or understood from context.

So:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.

literally works like:

• Before sowing seeds, we prepare the soil.

The infinitive сіяти means to sow.

This structure is very natural in Ukrainian. English also does something similar with before sowing or before we sow.

Yes. You can also use a full clause, for example:

• Перед тим як ми сіємо насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.

But this sounds heavier and less natural in many contexts.

The version with the infinitive:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння...

is smoother and more common when the doer of the action is obvious or general.

This is a question of aspect, which is very important in Ukrainian verbs.

• сіяти = imperfective

  • focuses on the process, repeated action, or general action
  • to sow

• посіяти = perfective

  • focuses on completing the action
  • to sow completely / to sow once

In this sentence, сіяти is used because the idea is general: before sowing seeds as an activity, not before finishing the sowing.

So:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння... = before sowing seeds
• Перед тим як посіяти насіння... would sound more like before sowing the seeds completely / before carrying out the act of sowing

The imperfective is the more natural choice here.

Насіння is a very common Ukrainian noun meaning seed or seeds, depending on context.

It is grammatically a singular neuter noun, but semantically it often works like a collective noun or a mass noun.

So:

• сіяти насіння = to sow seed / to sow seeds

Even though English often uses the plural seeds, Ukrainian naturally uses насіння.

Because here насіння is in the accusative case, as the object of сіяти.

But for many inanimate neuter nouns, the accusative looks the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: насіння
• accusative: насіння

That is why the form does not change.

ґрунт means soil or ground.

The letter ґ represents a hard g sound, like in English go.
The letter г in Ukrainian is usually pronounced more like a voiced h sound.

So:

• г ≈ a soft h-like sound
• ґ = hard g

That is why ґрунт is spelled with ґ.

Learners often notice this because Russian does not normally have this same distinction in the standard alphabet, but Ukrainian does.

Because it is also in the accusative case, as the object of готуємо.

• ми готуємо що? — ґрунт

For inanimate masculine nouns, the accusative is usually the same as the nominative.

So:

• nominative: ґрунт
• accusative: ґрунт

Готуємо means we prepare / we are preparing.

Ukrainian present tense often covers both:

• a general/habitual action
• an action happening now

Here it most likely expresses a general fact or usual procedure:

• Before sowing seeds, we prepare the soil.

So the present tense is completely natural.

Yes. Ukrainian often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

So both are possible:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.
• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, готуємо ґрунт.

Because готуємо already means we prepare, the pronoun ми is not strictly necessary.

Using ми can add a little emphasis or clarity.

Because Перед тим як сіяти насіння is a subordinate clause or clause-like introductory part placed before the main clause.

So the sentence is divided like this:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, = before sowing seeds
• ми готуємо ґрунт. = we prepare the soil

The comma marks that boundary.

Because in this sentence перед тим як functions as one unit meaning before.

So we write:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.

not

• Перед тим, як сіяти насіння, ...

at the beginning of the sentence.

A comma before як is more likely when this phrase comes later in the sentence, for example:

• Ми готуємо ґрунт перед тим, як сіяти насіння.

So the punctuation depends on the structure.

Yes. Ukrainian word order is flexible.

The neutral order here is:

• Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.

But you could also say:

• Ми готуємо ґрунт перед тим, як сіяти насіння.

Both mean essentially the same thing.

The version with the before phrase first emphasizes the sequence of actions a little more:

1. first sowing is being considered,
2. then we hear what happens before it.

Both are fine, and the Ukrainian can correspond to either one.

• Before sowing seeds, we prepare the soil.
• Before we sow seeds, we prepare the soil.

The Ukrainian version with the infinitive сіяти is especially close to before sowing seeds, but in meaning it can also match before we sow seeds.

сіяти is pronounced approximately like SEE-ya-ty.

A rough breakdown:

• сі = see
• я = ya
• ти = ty

So: SEE-ya-ty

The я creates a ya sound, and the stress is usually on the first syllable:

• сІяти

A rough English-style pronunciation guide would be:

PE-red tym yak SEE-ya-ty na-SIN-nya, my ho-TU-ye-mo grunt

A few notes:

• перед = PE-red
• тим = tym
• як = yak
• сіяти = SEE-ya-ty
• насіння = na-SIN-nya
• ми = my
• готуємо = ho-TU-ye-mo
• ґрунт = grunt

This is only approximate, but it is a useful starting point.