Breakdown of Благодаря репетиции она выучила роль, до того как открыли занавес.
она
she / it (for a feminine noun)
открыть
to open
выучить
to learn (perfective)
благодаря
thanks to
до того как
before
роль
role
занавес
curtain (theater, stage)
репетиция
rehearsal
Questions & Answers about Благодаря репетиции она выучила роль, до того как открыли занавес.
Why do we need того как here? Can't I just say до открыли занавес?
No, because до is a preposition and can only be followed by a noun or pronoun. Because the second part of the sentence has a working verb (открыли), it is a full clause. To connect a clause meaning 'before', you must use the full conjunction до того как.
Where does the comma go when using до того как?
Usually, the comma is placed right before the whole phrase to separate the main clause from the time clause: ...роль, до того как.... However, if a speaker wants to heavily emphasize the timing, you might occasionally see the comma placed right before как instead: ...до того, как....
Who is the subject of открыли (opened)?
There isn't a stated subject. In Russian, if the person doing the action is unknown or unimportant to the story, you can simply use the plural past-tense verb (открыли) and leave out the pronoun (они). This acts like the generic 'they' in English or the passive voice ('before the curtain was opened').
Why does репетиции end in -ии?
It is in the dative case, which is required by the preposition благодаря (thanks to). Since the dictionary form репетиция (rehearsal) is a feminine noun ending in -ия, its dative ending changes to -ии.
Could I use из-за instead of благодаря?
Grammatically you could, though из-за takes the genitive case, so the noun would look the same here. However, it changes the tone completely. Благодаря is used for positive outcomes ('thanks to'), while из-за implies a negative fault ('because of / due to'). Since learning the role is a success, благодаря is the natural choice.
Learn Благодаря репетиции она выучила роль, до того как открыли занавес and more in Russian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free