Learn Turkish: Çalışmadan önce rahatlamak çok önemli. - Relaxing is very important before working.

Çalışmadan önce rahatlamak çok önemli.

Relaxing is very important before working.

Breakdown of Çalışmadan önce rahatlamak çok önemli.

before / first / firstly

Questions & Answers about Çalışmadan önce rahatlamak çok önemli.

How does çalışmadan önce translate to 'before working'?

To say 'before doing something', Turkish uses the verb root plus the suffix -madan (or -meden) followed by the word önce. Here, we take the root çalış- (to work) and add -madan due to vowel harmony, creating çalışmadan önce (before working).

I previously learned that -dan önce means 'before'. Why is it -madan önce here?

With nouns, you use the 'from' ending plus önce, like in işten önce (before work). However, when you want to attach 'before' to an action (a verb), you cannot just use -dan. You must use the specific action suffix -madan or -meden. It is incorrect to say çalışmaktan önce.

Why does the sentence use the dictionary form rahatlamak instead of a conjugated verb?

Because 'relaxing' is the subject of this sentence. When a verb acts as a noun—such as saying 'To relax is important' or 'Relaxing is important'—Turkish uses the infinitive form ending in -mak or -mek.

Why is there no word for 'is' at the end of the sentence?