To talk about things that previously occurred, you can use the word 以前 (yǐqián). You can use this structure to talk about actions that happened at some unspecified time in the past.

Structure

One way to use 以前 (yǐqián) is to start the sentence with it. This is like starting off a sentence in English with "before..." or "in the past..."

You can also move 以前 (yǐqián) to right after the subject, and it's also correct.

Examples

以前我不会说中文。 Yǐqián wǒ bù huì shuō Zhōngwén.Before, I could not speak Chinese.
你以前住在哪儿？ Nǐ yǐqián zhù zài nǎr?Before, where did you live?
以前我不认识他。 Yǐqián wǒ bù rènshi tā.Before, I didn't know him.
以前他是我们的客户吗？ Yǐqián tā shì wǒmen de kèhù ma? Was he our client before?
以前他是一个服务员，现在是老板。Yǐqián tā shì yī gè fúwùyuán, xiànzài shì lǎobǎn.Before, he was a waiter. Now, he is a boss.
我父母以前都是老师。Wǒ fùmǔ yǐqián dōu shì lǎoshī.Before, both of my parents were teachers.
爸爸以前很喜欢抽烟。Bàba yǐqián hěn xǐhuan chōuyān.Before, dad really liked smoking.
姐姐以前有一个很有钱的男朋友。Jiějie yǐqián yǒu yī gè hěn yǒuqián de nánpéngyou.My older sister had a very rich boyfriend before.
他们以前没有钱，可是很快乐。Tāmen yǐqián méiyǒu qián, kěshì hěn kuàilè.They didn't have much money before, but they were happy.
我男朋友以前在美国工作，现在在中国工作。Wǒ nánpéngyou yǐqián zài Měiguó gōngzuò, xiànzài zài Zhōngguó gōngzuò.Before, my boyfriend worked in the USA. Now, he works in China.

Structure

Examples

See also

Sources and further reading

Books