antes de que
conjunctionCEFR B1
What does “antes de que” mean in English?
before
before (antes de que + subjunctive — always subjunctive, different subjects)
Example sentences
Asegúrate de revisar todos los documentos antes de que el notario cierre la sesión y se vaya.
Make sure you check all the documents before the notary closes the session and leaves.
Llegamos al aeropuerto antes de que empezaran los controles de seguridad de la segunda oleada de vuelos.
We arrived at the airport before the security checks for the second wave of flights started.
Es mejor que lo hagas antes de salir, para no tener que volver a casa a por ello.
It's better to do it before you leave, so you don't have to come back home for it.
How to use it
Antes de que means 'before' and always triggers subjunctive in the following clause — there are no exceptions regardless of tense, subject, or polarity. 'Llama antes de que salgamos' / 'Llamó antes de que saliéramos'. When the subjects of the main clause and antes de que clause are the same, the construction simplifies to antes de + infinitive: 'Llama antes de salir' (same subject: you call, you leave). The mood choice here is not optional — antes de que is one of the 'always subjunctive' conjunctions at B1.
Common mistake
Antes de que always takes subjunctive — even when the main clause is positive and indicative. 'Llámame antes de que salgas' is not a case where the speaker doubts anything — the subjunctive is purely because antes de que is a temporal conjunction referring to a future/hypothetical boundary. If same subject: use antes de + infinitive, without que.