以前，… (in the past, …)
Back in the day…
- before以前 on its own, at the start, means "in the past / before".
- before以前I / me我to live住at / in在Beijing, capital of the…北京 = "I used to live in Beijing."
- No specific time needed — just "previously".
before以前，…
- before以前 + Clause = "in the past, …" (a general before-now).
in the past以前，I我live住in在Beijing北京。
- before以前，I / me我to live住at / in在Beijing, capital of the…北京 = "I used to live in Beijing."
Practice
In the past I lived in Beijing: ____，我住在北京。
以前，… alone up front = in the past: 以前,我住在北京.
Practice
Build: “In the past, I lived in Beijing.”
以前 + Subj + Predicate: 以前 + 我 + 住在北京.
Two jobs for before以前
- After a time / verb = "before X" (三点before以前). Alone up front = "in the past".
Explore
Correct or broken?
Sentence-initial 以前 opens a past-vs-now story — things were different back then.
Practice
What does 以前 mean standing alone at the start?
Alone, 以前 = in the past; after a time it means “before X”.
Practice
以前 can point to the future.
以前 looks back (past); 以后 points forward (future).
Recap
Key idea
- before以前，… — "in the past / formerly", a general before-now
- before以前I / me我to live住at / in在Beijing, capital of the…北京 = I used to live in Beijing
- Alone = "in the past"; after a time / verb = "before that"
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Nouns.