LingoflyPre nego što dođe: the time clause that refuses to shift
The order of events asks for time links. There are few of them, but one carries a rule English has no use for, and everyone stumbles on it. For example: “Пре него што (pre nego što) почне (počne) киша (kiša), склони (skloni) столице” (stolice) — Before the rain starts, bring the chairs in. A rule from the Serbian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
The order of events asks for time links. There are few of them, but one carries a rule English has no use for, and everyone stumbles on it.
After pre nego što usually comes the present tense, even about the past. Otišao je pre nego što dođe gost. Word for word "he left before the guest arrives", and in Serbian that is the usual form.
After nakon što and pošto the tense is left alone. Nakon što je završio posao, otišao je kući. This is the habit of the language rather than its logic.
Dok works both ways. For "while": Dok si spavao, ja sam radio. For "until": Čekaj dok ne dođe. That second ne denies nothing at all.
Table
| the link | what follows it | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|
| pre nego što | the present, usually | pre nego što dođe | before he arrives |
| nakon što | the real tense | nakon što je došao | after he had come |
| pošto | the real tense | pošto smo stigli | once we arrived |
| dok | a process | dok si spavao | while you were asleep |
| dok ne | a done deal | dok ne dođe | until he comes |
| čim | the present for the future | čim stigne | as soon as he arrives |
| kad | anything | kad sam bio mali | when I was little |
| no link | the of-form | tih godina | in those years |
By example
- Пре него што почне киша, склони столицеPre nego što počne kiša, skloni stoliceBefore the rain starts, bring the chairs in
- Čekaj dok ne dođe prevoznik, a u međuvremenu pripremi papireWait until the carrier arrives, and in the meantime get the papers ready
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Pre nego što dođe: how does it work in Serbian?
The order of events asks for time links. There are few of them, but one carries a rule English has no use for, and everyone stumbles on it.
What does it look like in a Serbian example sentence?
“Пре него што (pre nego što) почне (počne) киша (kiša), склони (skloni) столице” (stolice) (Pre nego što počne kiša, skloni stolice) — Before the rain starts, bring the chairs in. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.