innan

innan is a Swedish word that functions as both a conjunction and a preposition, meaning "before." It is used to set temporal order between events or to indicate a time limit for an action. The word is common in both spoken and written Swedish.

As a conjunction, innan introduces a subordinate clause. In Swedish, the verb in the subordinate clause typically appears at the end: "Vi väntade innan festen började." Other examples include "Jag gick hem innan jag åt middag." When used with a time expression rather than a full clause, it can express a deadline: "Läxan måste vara klar innan klockan åtta." In this use, innan governs the following noun phrase that denotes the cutoff time, such as "klockan åtta" or "månaden."

As a preposition, innan can also head a phrase that denotes a point in time, usually followed by a time expression: "innan klockan fyra," meaning "before four o'clock." This usage is common in both everyday speech and formal writing.

Nuances and contrasts: innan is often preferred for dynamic sequences involving events or actions, emphasizing that one event occurs prior to another. The synonym före is also used for "before," but it tends to be more formal or abstract and can specify deadlines or positions in time and space in a broader range of contexts. In many cases, innan and före are interchangeable, but choosing between them can affect emphasis and tone.