Difference between revisions of "Expressing "before" and "after" with "zhiqian" and "zhihou""
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| + | *下班<em>之前</em>，经理给我们开了一个会议。<span class="trans">Before I got off work,the manager assembled a meeting with us.</span> | ||
*来 中国 <em>之前</em> ，我 的 汉语 水平 很 差。<span class="trans">Before I came to China, my Chinese was bad.</span> | *来 中国 <em>之前</em> ，我 的 汉语 水平 很 差。<span class="trans">Before I came to China, my Chinese was bad.</span> | ||
*吃 完 饭 <em>之后</em> ，他们 去 了 一家 电影院。<span class="trans">After they finished eating, they went to a movie theater.</span> | *吃 完 饭 <em>之后</em> ，他们 去 了 一家 电影院。<span class="trans">After they finished eating, they went to a movie theater.</span> | ||
Revision as of 07:21, 22 August 2013
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Keywords
Before and after can be expressed using 之前 (zhīqián) and 之后 (zhīhòu). They are in relatively the same vein as 以前/以后, except that these two are adverbs, while 之前/之后 is a preposition. Don't forget that these two are talking about before and after in terms of time.
Structure
Event + 之前/之后
Examples
- 下班之前，经理给我们开了一个会议。Before I got off work,the manager assembled a meeting with us.
- 来 中国 之前 ，我 的 汉语 水平 很 差。Before I came to China, my Chinese was bad.
- 吃 完 饭 之后 ，他们 去 了 一家 电影院。After they finished eating, they went to a movie theater.
- 去 北京 之后 ，他 和 他的 女朋友 分手了。After he went to Beijing, he broke up with his girlfriend.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Home With Kids2 (家有儿女2) (pp. 167)
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 93-4) →buy
