Breakdown of Necesitas asignar el transporte antes de que el evento empiece.
de
from / of
necesitar
to need
el evento
the event
empezar
to start / to begin
que
that / than
antes
before / earlier
asignar
to assign
el transporte
the transportation
Questions & Answers about Necesitas asignar el transporte antes de que el evento empiece.
Why is empiece in the subjunctive instead of the indicative empieza?
The phrase antes de que (before) always requires the subjunctive mood. This is because it introduces an event that hasn't happened yet relative to the main action. So, we use empiece instead of the normal present tense empieza.
I know empezar has a stem change, but why is it spelled with a 'c' in empiece?
To form the present subjunctive, you usually start with the 'yo' form of the present tense (empiezo), drop the 'o', and add the opposite ending. However, for verbs ending in -zar, the z changes to c before an e to keep the same sound. That spelling rule gives us empiece.
Could I just say antes del evento empiece instead of using antes de que?
No, you need the que. If you are just putting a noun or an infinitive after 'before', you use antes de (for example, antes del evento means 'before the event'). But because you are introducing a whole new clause with its own conjugated verb (el evento empiece), you have to use antes de que.
Why is asignar in the infinitive, but empiece is conjugated?
In the first part, you are the subject for both actions ('you need' and 'you assign'), so the second verb stays in the infinitive (asignar). In the second part, the subject changes to el evento (the event). Whenever there is a subject change after 'before', you must use antes de que and conjugate the second verb in the subjunctive.
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