Breakdown of Актёры будут репетировать одни, до того как придут зрители.
актёр
actor
быть
to be
зритель
spectator
прийти
to arrive (on foot, pf)
один
alone
до того как
before
репетировать
to rehearse
Questions & Answers about Актёры будут репетировать одни, до того как придут зрители.
Why do we use the imperfective будут репетировать in the first part, but the perfective придут after до того как?
The aspects reflect the type of action. Rehearsing is an ongoing process, so it uses the imperfective future (будут репетировать). The arrival of the spectators is a single, completed event that sets a time limit on that process, so it uses the perfective future (придут).
Why does одни mean 'alone' here? Doesn't один mean 'one'?
Yes, один means 'one', but when it takes a plural ending (одни) to match a plural subject like актёры, it translates to 'alone' or 'by themselves'. So актёры будут репетировать одни means the actors will rehearse without anyone else around.
Could I use перед тем как instead of до того как in this sentence?
Yes, they are almost completely interchangeable when connecting two clauses. Перед тем как can sometimes imply that the first action happens immediately before the second one, while до того как is just a general 'before', but both work perfectly here.
Why is the comma placed before до того как instead of before как?
When a multi-word conjunction like до того как introduces a new clause, the standard rule is to put the comma before the entire phrase. While you might occasionally see native speakers split it (putting the comma before как) to add special emphasis to the word того, putting it before до is the safest and most standard choice.
Why does the sentence end with придут зрители (verb then subject) instead of зрители придут?
Russian word order is flexible, and placing the subject at the very end of a clause is a common way to highlight new or important information. Here, it puts the spotlight on the spectators as the trigger for the actors to stop. Зрители придут is also grammatically correct but sounds a bit flatter.
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