Breakdown of Мы обычно взвешиваем все альтернативы, прежде чем согласиться.
мы
we
обычно
usually
весь
all, the whole, everything, everyone (весь, вся, всё, все)
согласиться
to agree (perfective)
Questions & Answers about Мы обычно взвешиваем все альтернативы, прежде чем согласиться.
Why is прежде чем followed by an infinitive (согласиться) here instead of a conjugated verb?
When the subject of the main clause (мы) is the exact same as the subject of the subordinate clause, Russian uses the infinitive after прежде чем. If the subjects were different (like "before they agree"), you would use a conjugated verb instead.
Why do we use the perfective verb согласиться when the main verb взвешиваем describes a habitual action (обычно)?
Even though the weighing happens regularly (обычно), each individual time it happens, it precedes a single, successful act of agreeing. The perfective согласиться focuses on that specific completed result in each instance, rather than an ongoing process of agreeing.
Does the verb взвешивать work exactly like the English "to weigh"?
Yes! Just like in English, взвешивать (imperfective) and its perfective pair взвесить are used both literally (to weigh physical objects on a scale) and figuratively (to weigh options, risks, or alternatives).
Why does the comma go before прежде чем rather than between the two words?
Прежде чем acts as a single compound conjunction introducing the subordinate clause. In Russian punctuation, the comma separates the main clause from the subordinate clause, so it is placed right before the entire conjunction.