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Even if you hide the marmalade in the remotest corner of the house, you can be sure that Carlotta will nose it out, devour it, and hide the evidence before you know what hit/hits you.

Probable Source: Betty S. Azar and Stacy A. Hagen, Understanding and Using English Grammar

Which word in bold should I use? And could you please explain to me why you would use that verb?

Thanks.

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  • Never take any medication before you know what ails you.
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 18:39
  • Always take your medication with marmalade. Unless Carlotta is around.
    – deadrat
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 19:49
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    "Before you know what hit you is an idiom." Even if "hit" were not technically correct, the idiom would still prevail. But "hit" is correct. Imagine you're just standing there and suddenly get bopped on the head. A person near by might ask "Do you know what hit you?"
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 20:02
  • @FumbleFingers some people say before "you know what hits you" Although the vast majority say ...."before you know what hit you".....
    – Mari-Lou A
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 21:00
  • @Mari-Lou: I'm surprised there are so many written instances of something that sounds so "unusual" to my ear. It's still only 68, as against 1630 for the standard hit version (plus there are another 598 for the equally "normal-to-me" before you know what's hit you). But it certainly doesn't look as if I could get away with claiming all those 68 instances are from nns or otherwise "incompetent" speakers. Perhaps there's more to this Q than meets the eye (I can't "parse" before he knows what hits him)
    – FumbleFingers
    Commented Nov 22, 2015 at 21:13

1 Answer 1

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Hit.

...before you know what hit you.
We have to know what hit us I.e already done I.e past tense.

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