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[Beto]

(Pretend the diacritical markings are in my message. I can't seem to figure it out on this computer.) Quiero decir en ingles, "I called you before I left." Puedo decir: Te llame antes de que saliera. Es corecto o no?

Gracias

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Beto

(Pretend the diacritical markings are in my message. I can't seem to figure it out on this computer.) Quiero decir en ingles, "I called you before I left." Puedo decir: Te llame antes de que saliera. Es corecto o no?

Gracias

If there's no change in subject, you don't need to begin another clause by using a conjunction. That also means that you would use an infinitive, so there's no need to use the subjunctive mood at all.

There's an 'Accents' drop-down menu just above the text box. Use it to insert all the diacritical markings.

[Beto]

Thanks. Then would the sentence be, "Te llamé antes de salir."? I guess that would translate to, "I called you before leaving." Is my first use with "saliera" incorrect? I find that one of the most difficult things in learning a second language is that you don't have the historical experience with the new language unless you've grown up with it. Therefore, with the primary language one knows when something "sounds wrong" even if you don't know the precise rule. With Spanish, I don't have that feel even though I've been studying it for a long time.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Beto

Thanks. You're welcome.
Then would the sentence be, "Te llamé antes de salir."? Yes.
I guess that would translate to, "I called you before leaving." Is my first use with "saliera" incorrect? When there is no change in subject, the additional clause is not normally used, so it just 'sounds wrong'. The subjunctive form you used would be correct if the subject changed, like "I called you before he left."

Detecting what 'sounds wrong' comes with time. It's a gradual process; I'm still trying to learn it, too.

[aleCcowaN]

Originally Posted by Beto

Is my first use with "saliera" incorrect?

No, but it's misleading, then wrong from a pragmatical point of view -not grammatical point of view-.

When you wrote "Te llamé antes de que saliera", I instantly thought of something like "de que saliera la noticia en la televisión", "de que saliera mi avión", etc. I would never have thought it was about you.

[CrOtALiTo]

Originally Posted by Beto

(Pretend the diacritical markings are in my message. I can't seem to figure it out on this computer.) Quiero decir en ingles, "I called you before I left." Puedo decir: Te llame antes de que saliera. Es corecto o no?

Gracias

I have a question for you,

You are trying to say Te llame antes de salir, in my own form I'd like to say I called before to get out of the office.

What do you think it?

I'm trying to say get out that in Spanish is salir than left is dejar at least that is my understanding.

[Rusty]

leave ((from) somewhere) = salir de, irse de
leave, let, allow (something)= dejar
stop (doing something) = dejar de

antes de salir = before leaving
Te llamé antes de salir = I called before I left -or- I called before leaving
Te llamé antes de irme = I called before I left -or- I called before leaving

[Beto]

Originally Posted by CrOtALiTo

I have a question for you,

You are trying to say Te llame antes de salir, in my own form I'd like to say I called before to get out of the office.

What do you think it?

I'm trying to say get out that in Spanish is salir than left is dejar at least that is my understanding.

In English I would say, "I called before leaving the office, o I called before I left the office."