DURATION 前

How it works

{ "explanation": "To express how long ago something happened in Chinese, you place '前' (qián) directly after a duration of time. It functions similarly to the English word 'ago' but follows the time period rather than preceding it.", "structure": "Time Duration + 前", "examples": [ { "zh": "三天前。", "pinyin": "Sān tiān qián.", "en": "Three days ago.", "breakdown": "三天 (three days) + 前 (ago)" }, { "zh": "一个星期前。", "pinyin": "Yī gè xīngqī qián.", "en": "One week ago.", "breakdown": "一个星期 (one week) + 前 (ago)" ) }, { "zh": "两个月前他在中国。", "pinyin": "Liǎng gè yuè qián tā zài Zhōngguó.", "en": "He was in China two months ago.", "breakdown": "两个月 (two months) + 前 (ago) + 他 (he) + 在 (at/in) + 中国 (China)" } ], "common_mistakes": "Putting '前' before the duration (e.g., saying '前三天' instead of '三天前').", "tip": "Think of '前' as 'before now'. When you use it after a duration, you are looking back that amount of time from the present moment." }

Examples

More HSK 1 grammar