As well as talking about the [past in
general](Expressing_"before"_in_general_with_"yiqian" "wikilink"), you
can use 以前 (yǐqián) to talk about things that happened *before* a
specific time.

Structure
---------

<div class="jiegou">
Time / Verb + 以前, ....

</div>
The time can be a specific time, or an action (technically, "*when* the
action was done").

Examples
--------

<div class="liju">
-   <strong>吃饭</strong> <em>以前</em> ，你 洗 手 了
    吗？<span class="pinyin"><strong>Chīfàn</strong> <em>yǐqián</em>, nǐ
    xǐ shǒu le ma?</span><span class="trans">Did you wash your hands
    before eating? </span>
-   <strong>睡觉</strong> <em>以前</em> ，不要 吃
    东西。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Shuìjiào</strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, bùyào chī dōngxi.</span><span class="trans">Don't
    eat anything before you go to sleep.</span>
-   <strong>两 年</strong> <em>以前</em> ， 你 认识 他 吗？
    <span class="pinyin"><strong>Liǎng nián </strong> <em>yǐqián</em>,
    nǐ rènshi tā ma? </span><span class="trans">Did you know him two
    years ago?</span>
-   <strong>星期五</strong> <em>以前</em> ，你 要 做 完 这些
    工作。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Xīngqīwǔ</strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, nǐ yào zuò wán zhèxiē
    gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">You need to finish this work
    before Friday.</span>
-   <strong>上 大学</strong> <em>以前</em>，你 来 过 上海
    吗？<span class="pinyin"><strong>Shàng dàxué </strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, nǐ lái guo shànghǎi ma?</span><span class="trans">
    Before you went to college, did you ever come to Shanghai?</span>
-   <strong>结婚</strong> <em>以前</em> ，你 应该 先 买
    房子。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Jiéhūn</strong> <em>yǐqián</em>,
    nǐ yīnggāi xiān mǎi fángzi.</span><span class="trans">Before getting
    married, you should first buy a house.</span>
-   <strong>二十 年</strong> <em>以前</em>，这里 是 一 个
    公园。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Èrshí nián</strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, zhèlǐ shì yī gè
    gōngyuán.</span><span class="trans">Twenty years ago, this was a
    park.</span>
-   <strong>几 个 月</strong> <em>以前</em> ，他们 分手
    了。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Jǐ gè yuè </strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, tāmen fēnshǒu le.</span><span class="trans">They
    broke up a few months ago.</span>
-   <strong>毕业</strong> <em>以前</em>，我 要 找到
    工作。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Bìyè</strong> <em>yǐqián</em>, wǒ
    yào zhǎodào gōngzuò.</span><span class="trans">I need to find a job
    before graduation.</span>
-   <strong>当 总统</strong> <em>以前</em>，Obama 没有 白
    头发。<span class="pinyin"><strong>Dāng zǒngtǒng</strong>
    <em>yǐqián</em>, Obama méiyǒu bái
    tóufa.</span><span class="trans">Before he became the president,
    Obama didn't have white hair.</span>

</div>
Note that this use of 以前 (yǐqián) can also be shortened to 前 (qián).

See also
--------

-   [After a specific time](After_a_specific_time "wikilink")
-   [Expressing "before" in general with
    "yiqian"](Expressing_"before"_in_general_with_"yiqian" "wikilink")
-   [Before and after with "zhiqian" and
    "zhihou"](Before_and_after_with_"zhiqian"_and_"zhihou" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

-   [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical
    Guide](Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide "wikilink") (pp.
    260-1)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108)
-   [Boya Chinese Elementary Starter
    2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇)](Boya_Chinese_Elementary_Starter_2_(博雅汉语初经起步篇) "wikilink") (pp.
    11-12)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7301078617/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7301078617)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")