Breakdown of Я сомневаюсь, достаточно ли мы сделали до того, как приехал директор.
я
I
мы
we
директор
director
сделать
to do (perfective) / to make (perfective)
приехать
to arrive (by transport, pf)
сомневаться
to doubt / to hesitate
до того как
before
ли
whether / if (in indirect questions)
достаточно
enough
Questions & Answers about Я сомневаюсь, достаточно ли мы сделали до того, как приехал директор.
Why is ли placed right after достаточно instead of before it like the English word 'whether'?
In Russian, the particle ли always goes immediately after the word that is the main focus of the question. Here, the speaker is questioning if the amount was enough, so ли attaches directly to достаточно.
Is the comma before достаточно required?
Yes. Indirect questions using ли create a subordinate clause. Russian punctuation rules strictly require a comma to separate the main clause (Я сомневаюсь) from a subordinate clause.
Why do we use the long phrase до того, как instead of just до for 'before'?
The word до is a preposition used directly before nouns, like in до ужина (before dinner). Because 'the director arrived' is a full clause with its own subject and verb, you must use the conjunction до того, как (literally 'until that, how').
Why is the word order приехал директор (arrived director) instead of директор приехал?
In Russian, it is very common to put the verb before the subject in subordinate clauses, especially when introducing a new subject into the story. You could say директор приехал, but приехал директор flows better and sounds more natural here.
Learn Я сомневаюсь, достаточно ли мы сделали до того, как приехал директор 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