Breakdown of Прежде чем купить машину, он спросил отца.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
машина
car
купить
to buy (perfective)
спросить
to ask (perfective)
отец
father
прежде чем
before (doing something)
Questions & Answers about Прежде чем купить машину, он спросил отца.
The current lesson focuses on 'до того как' and 'перед тем как'. How does 'прежде чем' fit in?
Прежде чем is simply another conjunction meaning 'before'. It is completely interchangeable with перед тем как in this sentence. You could easily say Перед тем как купить машину, он спросил отца with no change in meaning.
Why is the verb 'купить' in the infinitive here rather than conjugated?
Because the subject is the same in both halves of the sentence: 'he' is the one buying the car, and 'he' is the one asking. When the subject is identical, Russian uses the infinitive after 'before' conjunctions like прежде чем or перед тем как.
Is 'купить' perfective or imperfective, and why?
Купить is the perfective form of 'to buy'. It is used here because the sentence focuses on a single, specific, completed action (buying the car), rather than a repeated habit or the ongoing process of shopping.
Why did 'отец' (father) change to 'отца' at the end of the sentence?
The verb спросить (to ask a question) takes a direct object in the accusative case. Because отец is a masculine animate noun (a living being), its accusative ending matches the genitive case, dropping the vowel and adding an -а to become отца.
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