Temporal clauses of sequence
In short
| word | means | clause verb |
|---|---|---|
| čim | as soon as | perfective |
| pošto / nakon što | after | perfective |
| pre nego što | before | usually perfective (all three words!) |
| otkako | ever since | main clause usually present |
| dok ne | until | perfective; past: dok nije + participle |
The ne of dok ne negates nothing. Future reference: clause in present (čim stignem) or second future (čim budem stigao), never ću.
B1 · Lesson 42 · Vremenske rečenice: čim, pošto, pre nego što
The full explanation, from the lesson that teaches this rule
With kad and dok you can already say that two things happen at the same time or at some point. But a morning is a sequence: the alarm rings, you get up, you shower, you get dressed, you leave. To tell events in order you need words that say exactly how the two events are placed: one right after the other, one after the other, one before the other, one until the other, or one ever since the other.
Each of these words opens a small clause of its own (a temporal clause), and that clause can stand before or after the main clause. When it comes first, a comma separates the two.
| Word | English | Verb in the clause | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| čim | as soon as | perfective (a completed act) | Čim zazvoni budilnik, ustanem. |
| pošto | after (once) | perfective | Pošto se istuširao, obukao se. |
| nakon što | after | perfective | Nakon što smo doručkovali, deca su oprala zube. |
| pre nego što | before | usually perfective | Pre nego što izađeš, isključi fen. |
| otkako | ever since | any; the main clause is usually in the present | Otkako ustajem u šest, stižem svuda na vreme. |
| dok ne | until | perfective, with ne before the verb | Čekaj ovde dok se ne vratim. |
Why the aspect matters
čim, pošto and nakon što say that one event is finished and then the next one starts. A finished event is exactly what the perfective expresses, so these words almost always take a perfective verb: čim se probudim, pošto je završila, nakon što popijem kafu. otkako is different: it marks a stretch of time that begins with an event and reaches up to now, so the main clause usually stays in the present: Otkako se preselila u centar, Milica ide peške na posao.
pošto and nakon što
Both mean after. nakon što is a little more formal and common in writing; pošto is everyday speech. Be aware that pošto has a second meaning, since / because (Pošto pada kiša, ostajemo kod kuće) - the context tells you which one is meant. In this lesson it always means after.
Talking about the future: present, not ću
When the whole sentence is about the future, the main clause takes the future with ću, but the temporal clause does NOT. It takes the perfective present, or the second future (budem, budeš... plus the participle), which you met in lesson 32.
| Correct | Also correct | Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Čim stignem, nazvaću te. | Čim budem stigao, nazvaću te. | Čim ću stići, nazvaću te. |
| Nakon što popunite formular, sačekajte. | Nakon što budete popunili formular, sačekajte. | Nakon što ćete popuniti formular... |
pre nego što is ONE conjunction of three words
Always say all three words: pre nego što. Pre izađeš and pre nego izađeš are wrong. Compare the preposition pre with a noun in the genitive, which you already know: pre doručka (before breakfast) - but pre nego što doručkujem (before I have breakfast). A noun takes pre; a whole clause takes pre nego što. The same goes for nakon / posle with a noun and nakon što with a clause.
dok ne: the ne does not negate
dok alone means while. Put ne before the verb and it means until: Čekaj dok ne dođem is 'Wait until I come', NOT 'wait until I don't come'. The ne here negates nothing; it is simply part of how Serbian says until. Clitics such as se or te come between dok and ne: dok se ne vratim, dok te zubar ne pozove.
In the past, ne + the verb becomes the negative past: dok nije + participle. Ležao sam u krevetu dok budilnik nije zazvonio treći put - I lay in bed until the alarm rang for the third time. The alarm DID ring; the nije is still not a negation.
Translate dok ne as 'until' and ignore the ne. If you catch yourself reading it as 'not', you have read the sentence backwards.
Check what you read
5 of the 14 questions this lesson asks in the app. Type the form or pick the answer.
___ zazvoni budilnik, ustanem i otvorim prozor.
Čim ___ kući, nazvaću te.
Čim(biti) stigao kod lekara, javiću ti.
___ se istuširala, Ana se obukla.
Pre nego što(izaći) iz stana, isključi šporet.
Examples from the course
The marked word is where the rule applies. Press play to hear the sentence.
Čim zazvoni budilnik, ustanem.
As soon as the alarm clock rings, I get up.
Pre nego što izađeš, isključi fen.
Before you go out, unplug the hair dryer.
Čekaj ovde dok se ne vratim.
Wait here until I come back.
Pošto pojedeš kajganu i tost, operi tanjir.
After you eat your scrambled eggs and toast, wash the plate.
Čim budem izašla od zubara, nazvaću te.
As soon as I come out of the dentist's, I'll call you. (woman speaking)
Hoćeš li mi javiti čim saznaš rezultate?
Will you let me know as soon as you find out the results?
Ništa nisam osetila dok anestezija nije prestala.
I didn't feel anything until the anaesthetic wore off. (woman speaking)
Nakon što popunite formular, sačekajte u čekaonici.
After you fill in the form, wait in the waiting room. (formal)
Otkako ustajem u šest, stižem svuda na vreme.
Ever since I've been getting up at six, I get everywhere on time.
Uvek namestim krevet pre nego što se umijem.
I always make the bed before I wash my face.
Sentences in the course that use this rule: 79
Try it yourself
Translate a sentence that uses this rule. The check marks the word that went wrong and names the rule behind it, as in the app.
Sentences
Write it in Serbian
As soon as the alarm clock rings, I get up.