前に|まえに
- 1Before doing something: the main-clause action comes first, ahead of the action marked by 前に.Ex. 1
- 2Before an event or occasion expressed by a noun, such as a meeting or a meal.Ex. 2
- 3A certain amount of time ago, counting back from now or from a reference point.
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
Neutral pattern used in both speech and writing, especially for daily routines, schedules and instructions ("do A before B"). The 前に clause marks the later event, and the main clause gives what is done first. It is the opposite of 後で and てから, which place the main action after another event.
Do not use the past form before 前に; the verb stays in dictionary form even in past-tense sentences (日本に来る前に, not 来た前に).
Note that ない forms such as 忘れない前に do occur, but 忘れないうちに is the more usual way to say "before I forget."
Note that after a length of time, 前に means "ago" and takes no の: 三日前に means "three days ago," not "before three days."
- てからN5「てから」attaches to the て-form and means the attached action happens first, then the next one — the reverse order of 「前に」: 「寝る前に歯を磨く」≈「歯を磨いてから寝る」. It can also mean 'ever since...'.
- 〜ないうちにN3「〜ないうちに」attaches to the ない-form and stresses doing something before an unwanted change occurs, with a sense of urgency; it can also mean a change has happened without one noticing. 「前に」only marks order, takes the dictionary form, and 「寝ない前に」is not said.
- 後でN4「後で」means the second action comes after the first — exactly the opposite of 「前に」— so they cannot be swapped. The verb takes the た-form (「食べた後で」), nouns also take 「の」, and 「後で」can stand alone as an adverb meaning 'later'.
- ときN5「前に」refers to before the first item, while 「とき」marks a point in time, period, or state, and can take the た-form, ない-form, or adjectives; 「前に」only takes the dictionary form with verbs. 「行くとき」can mean on the way, but 「行く前に」only means before departing — don't mix them up.
- 際にN3「際に」refers to the occasion or juncture of doing something, not 'before', so it differs in meaning from 「前に」and cannot be swapped. 「際に」is more formal, can take the た-form, whereas the verb before 「前に」only takes the dictionary form.
- 〜たところだN3「前に」expresses action order or a time some distance ago (near or far), while 「〜たところだ」attaches to the た-form and only means the action has just been completed, so the time gap must be very short. The two cannot be swapped.
前に simply places an action before another event, whereas てから, 後で and 〜たところだ refer to after or just after it, とき means "when," and 際に is a formal "on the occasion of." 〜ないうちに also translates as "before," but it stresses acting before an unwanted change happens (for example, before it gets dark).
