Italian Phrase
Racconta tutto quello che è successo prima che cominciasse.
Meaning
The sentence is a request for a complete narration of events that occurred before a certain moment began. It combines an imperative with a relative clause and a temporal subordinate clause, making it a rich example of Italian storytelling language.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want someone to give you a detailed back‑story, for example before a meeting, a family gathering, or when writing a report that needs context.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Raccontatuttoquellocheèsuccessoprimachecominciasse.
Imperative (Racconta)
‘Racconta’ is the second‑person singular imperative of the verb *raccontare* (to tell, to narrate).
Relative pronoun (quello che)
‘quello che’ introduces a relative clause meaning ‘that which’ or ‘what’. It agrees in gender and number with the antecedent ‘tutto’.
Passato prossimo (è successo)
‘è successo’ is the present perfect of *succedere*; the auxiliary *essere* is used because the verb is intransitive.
Temporal conjunction (prima che)
‘prima che’ means ‘before’ and is always followed by the subjunctive mood.
Congiuntivo imperfetto (cominciasse)
‘cominciasse’ is the imperfect subjunctive of *cominciare* (to start). It expresses an action that was not yet realized at the time of the main clause.
🗨In Conversation
Racconta tutto quello che è successo prima che cominciasse.
Tell me everything that happened before it started.
Allora, tutto è iniziato quando…
Well, it all began when…
✕Common Mistakes
Racconta tutto quello che è successo prima che comincio.
After ‘prima che’ you must use the subjunctive, not the indicative.
Racconta tutto quello che è succeduto prima che cominciasse.
‘Succedere’ uses *essere*; the past participle must agree with the subject (masculine singular ‘successo’).
Racconta tutto quella che è successo...
‘Quello che’ agrees with the neuter ‘tutto’; using ‘quella che’ would be grammatically incorrect here.
↔Alternatives
Racconta tutto quello che è avvenuto prima che iniziasse.
Tell everything that happened before it began.
Narrami tutti i fatti precedenti all'inizio.
Narrate to me all the facts preceding the start.
Spiegami cosa è successo prima che cominciasse.
Explain to me what happened before it started.
Cultural Tip
In Italian conversation, asking for a full back‑story is common in both formal and informal settings, but the tone of the imperative can feel demanding. Adding a polite particle like ‘per favore’ or softening with ‘potresti’ (Could you…) makes it more courteous, especially with strangers or elders.