Before a specific time with "yiqian"

As well as talking about the past in general, you can use 以前 to talk about things that happened before a specific time. The structure for this is:

Structure

Time + 以前, Subject + Verb + Object

The time can be a specific time, or an action.

Examples

  • 上 大学 以前,我 不 会 写 论文。
  • 三点 以前,我 在 咖啡店。
  • 睡觉 以前,你 不 能 吃 糖。
  • 结婚 以前,我 很 自由。

See also

Sources and further reading