前（まえ）に (mae ni)
～前に — “before ～”
Pattern
-
動詞辞書形 ＋ 前にVerb dictionary form + 前に (e.g. 寝る前に) -
名詞 ＋ の ＋ 前にNoun + の + 前に (e.g. 食事の前に) -
時間（数）＋ 前にNumber + counter + 前に, meaning “～ ago / ～ before” (e.g. 3時間前に, no の)
Connecting to the verb
Put the verb in dictionary form before 前に. The verb is always dictionary form, even if the whole sentence ends in the past tense: 寝る前に歯を磨きました. You do not need the past tense to say that the first action came earlier.
Order of events
In 寝る前に歯を磨きます, the sleeping comes later and the tooth brushing comes first. The action right before 前に is the one that happens second. Be careful: the order in the sentence is the reverse of the order in time.
With nouns and time words
With a noun, add の: 食事の前に手を洗います. With a number of days, hours or years, no の is needed: 3日前に (three days ago), 5分前に (five minutes before). The opposite pattern is ～あとで／～てから (after).
Examples
-
寝（ね）る前（まえ）に歯（は）を磨（みが）きます。
Neru mae ni ha o migakimasu.
I brush my teeth before going to bed.
寝る is in dictionary form. Tooth brushing comes first.
-
ご飯（はん）を食（た）べる前（まえ）に手（て）を洗（あら）います。
Gohan o taberu mae ni te o araimasu.
I wash my hands before eating.
ご飯を食べる is a full clause in dictionary form before 前に.
-
出（で）かける前（まえ）に窓（まど）を閉（し）めます。
Dekakeru mae ni mado o shimemasu.
I close the window before going out.
Closing the window happens first, going out second.
Common mistakes
- Use the dictionary form before 前に, not the past form. Say 食べる前に, not 食べた前に.
- With a noun, add の (食事の前に); with a number of time units, do not (3日前に).
More grammar points
- いつも いつも～ — “always / usually”
- まだ まだ～ — “still” / “not yet”
- まだ～ていません まだ～ていません — “I haven’t ～ yet”
- もう もう～ — “already” / “not any more”
- それから それから — “and then / after that”
- てから ～てから — “after ～ing”
- とき ～とき — “when ～”
- は は (wa) — the topic particle
- を を (o) — the object particle
- に に (ni) — time, destination, location
- で で (de) — place of action & means
- と と (to) — and / together with
- の の (no) — possessive & noun linker
- へ へ (e) — direction
- も も (mo) — also / too
- か か (ka) — the question marker
- です です (desu) — the copula
- から から・まで — from … to …
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