Breakdown of Прежде чем дать ответ к пятнице, советник обдумал альтернативы.
ответ
answer
дать
to give
пятница
Friday
к
by (a deadline)
прежде чем
before (doing something)
альтернатива
alternative (f)
советник
advisor (m)
обдумать
to consider (think over, perfective)
Questions & Answers about Прежде чем дать ответ к пятнице, советник обдумал альтернативы.
Why is прежде чем followed by the infinitive дать instead of a past or future tense verb?
Because the subject of both actions is the same (the advisor, советник). When the same person is performing both the action in the main clause and the action after 'before', Russian uses прежде чем + infinitive. If the subjects were different, you would use a conjugated verb.
Could I say до пятницы instead of к пятнице to mean 'by Friday'?
Yes, but there is a nuance. к + dative (к пятнице) specifically emphasizes a deadline: the action will be completed by that time. до + genitive (до пятницы) usually means until Friday, often implying a continuous state or action that stops when Friday arrives. For a one-time action like giving an answer, к is the most natural fit.
What does the prefix об- add to the verb обдумал?
The prefix об- often carries the meaning of doing something 'around' or from all sides. Added to думать (to think), it creates the perfective verb обдумать, meaning 'to think over' or 'to consider thoroughly'. It highlights that the advisor finished the entire process of weighing all the options.
Why is there a comma after пятнице?
In Russian, subordinate clauses must always be separated from the main clause by commas. Since the sentence starts with the прежде чем clause, a comma is required to mark where the main clause (советник обдумал...) begins.
Learn Прежде чем дать ответ к пятнице, советник обдумал альтернативы 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