B1 Intermediate Aspects & Time

How to Say “Before” with 之前 (zhīqián)

之前 (zhīqián) means “before / previously” and is the more formal twin of 以前. After a time or event it means “before X” (考试之前 = “before the exam”); standing alone at the front of a later clause it means “previously / before that” (他现在是经理，之前只是普通员工). It works just like 以前, only a touch more formal.

Why this trips learners up

之前 (zhīqián) is the slightly more formal way to say “before.” It is the twin of 以前, and it works exactly the same way: after a time or an event it means “before X,” and it sits after that time/event, not in front of it. [Time / Event] + 之前: 考试之前我很紧张 (“before the exam I was nervous”), 出发之前请检查行李 (“before setting off, please check your luggage”), 一个月之前 (“a month ago”). English puts “before” in front of the event; Chinese puts 之前 behind it.

On its own, leading a later clause, 之前 means “previously / before that.” 他现在是经理，之前只是普通员工 (“he’s a manager now; before, he was just an ordinary employee”), 这家店上个月才开，之前这里是一家书店 (“this shop only opened last month; before, this was a bookstore”). Here 之前 points back to a moment already in the conversation, the time before the thing you just mentioned.

That pointing-back is the one real difference from 以前. Standalone 以前 can float free to mean “in the past / I used to” with no reference point (以前我每天都喝可乐, “I used to drink cola every day”); standalone 之前 leans on a “before what?” already understood. So for a general “I used to,” reach for 以前, not 之前. As a postposition after an event, though (考试之前 vs 考试以前), the two are interchangeable, and 之前 just sounds a little more formal because 之 is a classical particle.

One extra note: because of that classical 之, 之前 also has a physical reading, “in front of,” that 以前 never takes (排在我之前 = “queued ahead of me”). It is less common and more formal, so you will meet it mostly in writing. For everyday “before [a time],” 之前 and 以前 are the same tool.

The structure

Time 之前 zhīqián Other

Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Complement Time Place Negation Adverb Function word Adjective Measure word Other

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

kǎoshì 考试 Verb zhīqián 之前 Pattern wǒ 我 Subject fùxí 复习 Verb le 了 Function word hěn jiǔ 很久 Complement

Before the exam, I revised for a long time (event + 之前).

jiànmiàn 见面 Verb zhīqián 之前 Pattern wǒmen 我们 Subject xiān 先 Adverb tōng 通 Verb gè 个 Measure word diànhuà 电话 Object ba 吧 Function word

Before we meet, let’s have a quick call first.

yí gè yuè 一个月 Time zhīqián 之前 Pattern tā 他 Subject hái 还 Adverb zài 在 Verb guówài 国外 Place

A month ago, he was still abroad (duration + 之前).

tā 他 Subject xiànzài 现在 Time shì 是 Verb jīnglǐ 经理 Object zhīqián 之前 Pattern zhǐshì 只是 Adverb pǔtōng 普通 Adjective yuángōng 员工 Object

He’s a manager now; before that, he was just an ordinary employee (standalone 之前).

zhè jiā diàn 这家店 Subject shàng gè yuè 上个月 Time cái 才 Adverb kāi 开 Verb zhīqián 之前 Pattern zhèlǐ 这里 Place shì 是 Verb yì jiā 一家 Measure word shūdiàn 书店 Object

This shop only opened last month; before, this was a bookstore.

wǒmen 我们 Subject gāng 刚 Adverb rènshi 认识 Verb zhīqián 之前 Pattern cónglái 从来 Adverb méi 没 Negation jiàn 见 Verb guo 过 Function word

We just met; we’d never met before.

zuò 做 Verb juédìng 决定 Object zhīqián 之前 Pattern nǐ 你 Subject zuìhǎo 最好 Adverb xiān 先 Adverb xiǎng 想 Verb qīngchu 清楚 Complement

Before you make a decision, you’d better think it through first.

chūfā 出发 Verb zhīqián 之前 Pattern qǐng 请 Verb dàjiā 大家 Object zài 再 Adverb jiǎnchá 检查 Verb yí biàn 一遍 Measure word xíngli 行李 Object

Before we set off, please everyone check your luggage once more.

Common mistakes

Avoid: 之前考试，我复习了很久。 zhīqián kǎoshì, wǒ fùxí le hěn jiǔ.

Say this: 考试之前，我复习了很久。 kǎoshì zhīqián, wǒ fùxí le hěn jiǔ.

Why it happens: 之前 follows the time or event, it doesn’t lead it like English “before”: 考试之前 (“before the exam”), not 之前考试. The event comes first, then 之前.

Avoid: 之前我每天都喝可乐。 zhīqián wǒ měitiān dōu hē kělè.

Say this: 以前我每天都喝可乐。 yǐqián wǒ měitiān dōu hē kělè.

Why it happens: A free-floating “I used to / in the past,” with no “before what?” in view, wants 以前: 以前我每天都喝可乐. Standalone 之前 means “before that / previously” and expects a reference point already mentioned.

Avoid: 睡觉之后刷牙。 shuìjiào zhīhòu shuā yá.

Say this: 睡觉之前刷牙。 shuìjiào zhīqián shuā yá.

Why it happens: Keep the direction straight: 之前 is “before,” 之后 is “after.” 睡觉之前刷牙 is “brush your teeth before bed”; 睡觉之后 would be “after sleeping.”

Compare & contrast

之前 (before / previously, the more formal twin)	以前 (before / in the past, the everyday twin)	The difference
上课之前shàngkè zhīqián	上课以前shàngkè yǐqián	上课之前 and 上课以前 both mean “before class” and are interchangeable; 之前 just reads a touch more formal. After an event, pick whichever fits the register.
这件事我之前不知道。zhè jiàn shì wǒ zhīqián bù zhīdào.	以前我不太喜欢运动。yǐqián wǒ bú tài xǐhuan yùndòng.	这件事我之前不知道 (“I didn’t know about this before / earlier”) points back to a moment in the conversation. 以前我不太喜欢运动 (“I didn’t use to like exercising”) looks back at the open past, no reference point needed.

Rule of thumbAfter a time or event, 之前 and 以前 are interchangeable, 之前 just more formal. Standing alone, 以前 means “in the past / used to” (free-floating), while 之前 means “before that / previously” (leaning on a reference point). 之前 can also be physical (“in front of”); 以前 can’t.

Try it yourself

Say “Before the exam, I was nervous.” Put 之前 right after the event.

Related patterns

Quick reference card

How to Say “Before” with 之前 (zhīqián) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure

Time + 之前 + Other

Example

考试之前我复习了很久

Before the exam, I revised for a long time (event + 之前).

Watch out

✗ 之前考试，我复习了很久。 → ✓ 考试之前，我复习了很久。