Clarifying whether this lesson is for spoken or written Spanish

Question

I understand that dropping the ¨de¨ is something done sometimes in spoken Spanish in Mexico and elsewhere, but it would it be marked incorrect in written Spanish? It seems like there should be some discussion about how this differs from Castilian rules. ChatGPT says re Dropping the de

You may hear:

antes que

or

después que

especially in parts of Latin America.

For example:

Antes que llegues...

Después que terminó...

These forms occur in everyday speech in countries such as Mexico, parts of Central America, the Caribbean, Argentina, Uruguay, and elsewhere, though how common they are varies by region and speaker.

However:

They are considered regional rather than the neutral standard.

In formal writing, education, and when speaking to people from across the Spanish-speaking world, antes de que and después de que are the safer, more widely accepted choices.

If your goal is broadly natural, educated Spanish (which I know you've been working toward), I would recommend keeping the de.

Silvia Píriz · Accepted Answer

Hola Todd G.
That's a good question. This lesson describes a regional usage that's common in the speech of many Latin American speakers.
In formal writing and in the neutral standard, antes de que and después de que are generally preferred. So yes, if you're aiming for broadly accepted written Spanish, we recommend keeping the de. We'll review the lesson to see if we can make that distinction clearer.
Hasta pronto
Silvia