To express that an action must happen before another event, use zanim.
Polish doesn't require a special grammatical mood after "before." Just use the standard tense that makes sense for the situation. Always place a comma between the two clauses, whether zanim starts the sentence or connects the two halves in the middle.
Making sure
Before leaving the house, you should make sure (upewnić się) you have everything. When expressing "to make sure if" or "whether," use czy.
| Before I leave the house, I have to make sure I have the key. | Zanim wyjdę z domu, muszę się upewnić, czy mam klucz. |
Turning things off
You will frequently use zanim when talking about securing the house, like turning off a light (zgasić światło) or unplugging (odłączyć) an iron (żelazko).
| Before you leave, you have to turn off the light. | Zanim wyjdziesz, musisz zgasić światło. |
| We have to unplug the iron before we leave for vacation. | Musimy odłączyć żelazko, zanim wyjedziemy na wakacje. |
Closing up
Zanim works exactly the same whether you are describing plans for tonight or something that already happened. Here are a few more examples with everyday routines like closing the blinds (zasłonić rolety) or checking the stove (kuchenka).
| You have to close the blinds before you go to sleep. | Musisz zasłonić rolety, zanim pójdziesz spać. |
| Before he went to work, he closed the blinds in the bedroom. | Zanim pojechał do pracy, zasłonił rolety w sypialni. |
| I forgot to turn off the stove before I left with you! | Zapomniałem wyłączyć kuchenkę, zanim wyszedłem z tobą! |