Breakdown of Прежде чем ударить по шару, игрок подошёл к столу.
стол
table / desk
к
towards, to
подойти
to approach, to come up to
игрок
player
прежде чем
before (doing something)
ударить
to strike (physically)
шар
ball (solid, sphere)
по
at (the target of a blow)
Questions & Answers about Прежде чем ударить по шару, игрок подошёл к столу.
Why do we use the infinitive ударить after прежде чем instead of a past tense verb?
When the subject of the main clause (игрок) is the exact same as the subject of the subordinate clause, прежде чем is followed by an infinitive. If the subjects were different (for example, 'before I hit the ball, the player approached'), you would need to use a past tense verb in the subordinate clause.
Why is it ударить по шару instead of just using the direct object ударить шар?
In Russian, verbs describing a physical strike often take the preposition по followed by the dative case. While ударить шар (accusative) is grammatically possible, ударить по шару emphasizes striking the surface of the object, which is the most natural way to describe hitting a ball in games like billiards or golf.
Could I use the imperfective verb бить instead of the perfective ударить here?
Using the perfective ударить shows that the player is preparing for a single, completed strike. If you used the imperfective бить, it would imply 'before starting to hit' or 'before repeatedly hitting' the ball, which does not fit the context of taking a single shot in a game.
What does the prefix in подошёл mean, and why must it be followed by к?
The prefix под- (spelled подо- here for pronunciation) on a verb of motion means 'to approach' a target without actually entering it. This prefix strongly pairs with the preposition к plus the dative case (here, столу) to show exactly what destination is being approached.
Learn Прежде чем ударить по шару, игрок подошёл к столу 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