In Spanish, if we want to express that something happens at a specific moment just before something else happens, we can follow a specific structure.
Learn how to use the Spanish structure a tan solo + [length of time] de + [noun/infinitive]
A tan solo + [length of time] de + [noun/infinitive]
Here are some examples:
A tan solo 2 minutos de empezar la película me llamó mi madre para charlar.Just a couple of minutes before the film started my mum called for a chat.
Notice that after the preposition de you will generally find either an infinitive or a noun, as shown in the examples above. Remember that if it is a singular masculine noun, e.g.examen, you must use the contraction "del".
However, de could also be followed by a subordinate clause using the subjunctive.
A tan solo + [length of time] de + [subordinate clause]
For example:
Bear in mind that this structure admits some variations; for example sometimes "tan" or even "tan solo" are sometimes omitted from the time phrase:
See also A + [time] + de + infinitive for within + [time] of + gerund in Spanish
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