be at

[John]

Please check these sentences for me.

1. He [got to, was at] the airport before he realized he'd forgotten his passport.
2. He didn't realize he'd forgotten his passport before/until he [got to, was at] the airport. [Here, 'was at' is a little awkward, isn't it?]


Thanks.

[Rusty]

Please check these sentences for me.

1. He [got to, was at] the airport before he realized he'd forgotten his passport.
2. He didn't realize he'd forgotten his passport before/until he [got to, was at] the airport. [Here, 'was at' is a little awkward, isn't it?]


Thanks.

1. He [got to, was at] the airport before he realized he'd forgotten his passport. (OK).
2. He didn't realize he'd forgotten his passport before/until he [got to, was at] the airport. [Here, 'was at' is a little awkward, isn't it?]
There are four combinations here:
before the got to (This doesn't say that he did realize he'd forgotten his passport after he arrived at the airport).
before he was at (This, also, tells you only what happened before he got there).
until he got to (This is best. He realized he'd forgotten his passport as soon as he arrived at the airport).
until he was at. (OK. He may have been at the airport for a while before he noticed that his passport was missing).