NounsHSK 3
Expressing "before" in general with 以前
Use 以前 (yǐqián) to mean "before" or "in the past." It can start the sentence before the subject, or follow the subject directly, without changing the meaning. Common mistake: learners may place 以前 after the time phrase when no specific time is mentioned; here, 以前 alone suffices.
Structure
以前 + Subj. + Verb + Obj.
Subj. + 以前 + Verb + Obj.
Examples
- 以前我不会说中文。Yǐ qián wǒ bú huì shuō zhōng wén.Before, I could not speak Chinese.
- 你以前住在哪儿？Nǐ yǐ qián zhù zài nǎ r?Before, where did you live?
- 以前他是我们的客户吗？Yǐ qián tā shì wǒ men de kè hù ma?Was he our client before?
- 以前他是一个服务员，现在是老板。Yǐ qián tā shì yí gè fú wù yuán, xiàn zài shì lǎo bǎn.Before, he was a waiter. Now, he is a boss.
- 我父母以前都是老师。Wǒ fù mǔ yǐ qián dōu shì lǎo shī.Before, both of my parents were teachers.