Breakdown of Vi måste vänta hos kirurgen innan han kan operera.
han
he
vi
we
kunna
to be able to, can
måste
to have to, must
innan
before
vänta
to wait / to expect (a baby)
hos
at the home or workplace of
kirurgen
the surgeon
operera
to operate
Questions & Answers about Vi måste vänta hos kirurgen innan han kan operera.
Why is innan used here instead of före?
In formal Swedish grammar, innan is a conjunction, meaning it must introduce a full subordinate clause with its own subject and verb. Here, it introduces han kan operera. If you were just saying 'before the surgery' (using a noun rather than a full clause), you would use the preposition före: före operationen.
Is it ever acceptable to use innan as a preposition, like innan operationen?
In everyday spoken Swedish, many native speakers actually do use innan as a preposition. However, prescriptively—and especially in formal writing or proficiency tests at the B2 level—you should stick to the traditional rule: use innan before full clauses (as in this sentence) and före before nouns or pronouns.
Why do we use the preposition hos for 'at the surgeon's' instead of på?
The preposition hos is used when you are located at a person's home or a professional's practice. Because a surgeon (kirurg) is a person, you wait hos kirurgen. If you were referring to the physical building or institution, you would use på, such as på sjukhuset (at the hospital).
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