Difference between revisions of "Expressing "before" in general with "yiqian""

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* <em>以前</em>我 不 会 说中文。<span class="trans">Before, I could not speak Chinese.</span>
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* <em>以前</em>我 不 会 说 中文。<span class="trans">Before, I could not speak Chinese.</span>
 
* 我 <em>以前</em> 不 喝 啤酒。<span class="trans">I didn't drink beer before.</span>
 
* 我 <em>以前</em> 不 喝 啤酒。<span class="trans">I didn't drink beer before.</span>
 
* <em>以前</em> 我 不 喜欢 电影。<span class="trans">Before, I didn't like movies.</span>
 
* <em>以前</em> 我 不 喜欢 电影。<span class="trans">Before, I didn't like movies.</span>
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*我 <em>以前</em> 去 过 纽约。<span class="trans">I went to New York before.</span>
 
*我 <em>以前</em> 去 过 纽约。<span class="trans">I went to New York before.</span>
 
* <em>以前</em> 我 是 一 个 老师。<span class="trans">Before, I was a teacher.</span>
 
* <em>以前</em> 我 是 一 个 老师。<span class="trans">Before, I was a teacher.</span>
*我 <em>以前</em> 在 医院 工作。<span class="trans">I didn't work at the hospital before.</span>
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*我 <em>以前</em> 在 医院 工作。<span class="trans">I worked at the hospital before.</span>
*<em>以前</em> 我 想 做 一 个 生意 人。<span class="trans">Before, I wanted to be a "business man".</span>
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*<em>以前</em> 我 不 喜欢 他。<span class="trans">Before, I didn't like him.</span>
 
*我 <em>以前</em> 总是 喜欢 哭。<span class="trans">Before, I always liked to cry.</span>
 
*我 <em>以前</em> 总是 喜欢 哭。<span class="trans">Before, I always liked to cry.</span>
  
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{{Used for|Sequencing events in time}}
 
{{Used for|Sequencing events in time}}
 
{{Used for|Referring to the past}}
 
{{Used for|Referring to the past}}
{{Basic Grammar|以前|A2|以前,……|<em>以前</em>,我 不 会 中文。|grammar point|ASGVCWLU}}
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{{Basic Grammar|以前|A2|以前,……|<em>以前</em>,我 不 会 中文。|grammar point|ASGVCWLU}}
 
{{Similar|In the future in general}}  
 
{{Similar|In the future in general}}  
 
{{Similar|Before a specific time}}  
 
{{Similar|Before a specific time}}  

Revision as of 05:54, 25 December 2013

Using "before" in Chinese is very simple.

Structure

To talk about things in the past "in general", you can use the word 以前 (yǐqián).

以前 + Subject + Verb + Object

Subject + 以前 + Verb + Object

You can use this structure to talk about actions that happened at some unspecified time in the past.

Examples

  • 以前我 不 会 说 中文。Before, I could not speak Chinese.
  • 以前 不 喝 啤酒。I didn't drink beer before.
  • 以前 我 不 喜欢 电影。Before, I didn't like movies.
  • 以前 很 喜欢 吃 面条。I liked to eat noodles before.
  • 以前 我 住 在 上海。Before, I lived in Shanghai.
  • 以前 去 过 纽约。I went to New York before.
  • 以前 我 是 一 个 老师。Before, I was a teacher.
  • 以前 在 医院 工作。I worked at the hospital before.
  • 以前 我 不 喜欢 他。Before, I didn't like him.
  • 以前 总是 喜欢 哭。Before, I always liked to cry.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK3