Breakdown of Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.
ми
we
готувати
to prepare
перед тим як
before
насіння
the seed
Questions & Answers about Перед тим як сіяти насіння, ми готуємо ґрунт.
What does Перед тим як mean in this sentence?
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.
Why is сіяти in the infinitive?
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.
Could this also be said with a finite verb instead of сіяти?