antes de vs antes: when is “de” required?

Hola Pat B.

In this lesson, “de” appears in parentheses because it is optional depending on the structure that follows.

• Use antes de + infinitive

When it is followed directly by a verb in the infinitive, de is required:

• Use antes de que + conjugated verb (subjunctive)

When a full clause follows, de must remain, and que triggers the subjunctive:

• Use antes (without de) as an adverb when it stands alone

Here, antes does NOT introduce a verb or clause—it simply means “before/earlier”:

So the parentheses in the lesson show that antes can appear with or without “de”, but the choice depends on whether it introduces an infinitive, a clause or stands alone as an adverb.

Hope this clarifies it! Let me know if you’d like example comparisons.

Hasta pronto

Silvia

Hola Marcos R.

Yes, it works in essentially the same way.

Después can be used on its own as an adverb meaning “after / afterwards”:

When después is followed by an infinitive, de is required:

And when it is followed by a clause with a conjugated verb, the usual structure is después de que:

(In some contexts, this can also take the subjunctive: después de que + subjunctive, especially when the action is future or not yet completed.)

Thanks for the follow-up, Marcos!

Saludos

Silvia