Look at these sentences:
Avant que nous ne commencions, je voudrais vous remercier.Before we start, I would like to thank you.
To express before + verb (= before you do this) in French is a bit more complicated:
Note that in speech, the ne explétif can be dropped.
Il viendra te voir avant que tu ne partes.
See also Understanding the 'ne' explétif
and Après que + L'Indicatif = After + verb
as well as other similar expressions using subordinating conjunctions:
À moins que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = Unless you do
De peur que + ne explétif + Le Subjonctif = For fear that
Sans que (+ ne explétif) + Le Subjonctif = Without doing
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