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- <title>Before a specific time with "yiqian"</title>
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- <h1>Before a specific time with "<span class="pinyinst">yǐqián</span>" "<span class="hanzist">以前</span>"</h1>
- <p>As well as talking about the <a href="Expressing_"before"_in_general_with_"yiqian"" title="wikilink">past in general</a>, you can use <span class="hanzi">以前</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐqián</span>) to talk about things that happened before a specific time.</p>
- <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>
- <div class="deux">
- <p>Time / Verb + <span class="hanzist">以前, ....</span></p>
- </div>
- <p>The time can be a specific time, or an action (technically, "<b>when the action was done</b>").</p>
- <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>
- <div class="exemple">
- <ul>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">吃饭</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ，你 洗 手 了 吗？</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Chīfàn</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> nǐ xǐ shǒu le ma?</span> <br/>Did you wash your hands before eating?</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">睡觉</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ，不要 吃 东西。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Shuìjiào</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> bùyào chī dōngxi.</span> <br/>Don't eat anything before you go to sleep.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">两 年</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ， 你 认识 他 吗？</span> <br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Liǎng nián</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> nǐ rènshi tā ma?</span> <br/>Did you know him two years ago?</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">星期五</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ，你 要 做 完 这些 工作。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Xīngqīwǔ</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span>, nǐ yào zuò wán zhèxiē gōngzuò.</span><br/> You need to finish this work before Friday.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">上 大学</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span>，你 来 过 上海 吗？</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Shàng dàxué</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> nǐ lái guo shànghǎi ma?</span> <br/>Before you went to college, did you ever come to Shanghai?</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">结婚</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ，你 应该 先 买 房子。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Jiéhūn</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span>, nǐ yīnggāi xiān mǎi fángzi.</span><br/> Before getting married, you should first buy a house.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">二十 年</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span>，这里 是 一 个 公园。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Èrshí nián</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span>, zhèlǐ shì yī gè gōngyuán.</span><br/> Twenty years ago, this was a park.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">几 个 月</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span> ，他们 分手 了。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Jǐ gè yuè</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> tāmen fēnshǒu le.</span> <br/>They broke up a few months ago.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">毕业</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span>，我 要 找到 工作。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Bìyè</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span> wǒ yào zhǎodào gōngzuò.</span> <br/>I need to find a job before graduation.</li>
- <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">当 总统</span> <span class="fondjaune">以前</span>，Obama 没有 白 头发。</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Dāng zǒngtǒng</span> <span class="fondjaune">yǐqián</span>, Obama méiyǒu bái tóufa.</span><br/> Before he became the president, Obama didn't have white hair.</li>
- </ul>
- </div>
- <p>Note that this use of <span class="hanzi">以前</span> (<span class="pinyin">yǐqián</span>) can also be shortened to <span class="hanzi">前</span> (<span class="pinyin">qián</span>).</p>
- <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
- <ul>
- <li><a href="After_a_specific_time" title="wikilink">After a specific time</a></li>
- <li><a href="Expressing_"before"_in_general_with_"yiqian"" title="wikilink">Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian"</a></li>
- <li><a href="Before_and_after_with_"zhiqian"_and_"zhihou"" title="wikilink">Before and after with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"</a></li>
- </ul>
- <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>
- <ul>
- <li>Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 260-1)</li>
- <li>Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 2 (<span class="hanzi">博雅汉语初经起步篇</span>) (pp. 11-12)</li>
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