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Antes de la reunión, tomo un café.

Antes de la reunión, tomo un café.
Before the meeting, I have a coffee.
From Lesson 159:Before, after and when (antes de comer, cuando llego)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about Antes de la reunión, tomo un café.

Why is it antes de la reunión and not just antes la reunión?
When you want to say 'before [something]', you must use antes de. If you just use antes by itself, it means 'beforehand' or 'earlier'.
The translation says 'I have a coffee'. Why doesn't the Spanish use tengo (I have)?
In English, we use 'to have' for both owning things and consuming food or drinks. In Spanish, tener is only for possession. For eating or drinking, you use tomar (to take/to drink), which is why it is tomo un café.
How do I know that reunión is feminine and needs la?
Almost all Spanish words that end in -ión (like la reunión, la canción, la decisión) are feminine. This is a very reliable rule to remember!
Could tomo un café also mean 'I am having a coffee' right now?
Yes! The Spanish present tense is very flexible. Depending on the context, tomo can mean a general habit ('I have a coffee'), an action happening right now ('I am having a coffee'), or even something you are about to do in the near future.

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