Breakdown of Прежде чем уехать, он поспешил проконсультироваться с врачом.
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
врач
doctor
с
with (also со)
уехать
to leave (by vehicle, pf)
прежде чем
before (doing something)
поспешить
to rush (hurry)
проконсультироваться
to consult (seek professional advice)
Questions & Answers about Прежде чем уехать, он поспешил проконсультироваться с врачом.
Why is уехать in the infinitive here after прежде чем?
When the subject of the main clause (он) is the same as the person doing the action in the 'before' clause, Russian uses прежде чем followed directly by an infinitive. It is very similar to the English 'before leaving.' If the subjects were different (like 'before she left'), you would need a full conjugated clause: прежде чем она уехала.
Why use the perfective infinitive уехать instead of the imperfective уезжать?
The perfective is used because this refers to a single, specific completed instance of leaving. You would use the imperfective уезжать if he meant 'before leaving every time' (a repeated habit) or if he meant 'during the process of leaving'.
Why does врачом end in -ом instead of -ем, given that ч is a 'soft' consonant?
In the instrumental case, the ending after sibilant letters (ж, ш, ч, щ) and ц depends on stress. If the ending is stressed, it takes -ом (like врачом or мячом). If it is unstressed, it takes -ем (like мужем).
Why does проконсультироваться have the reflexive -ся ending here?
The non-reflexive проконсультировать means 'to give advice to someone else' (acting as the expert). Adding -ся changes it to 'to get advice for oneself' or 'to have a consultation.' Since he is the patient seeking advice, the reflexive form is required.
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