Sets an action before another event on the timeline: 'before doing X, (do) Y'. Works with verbs, nouns, and time expressions.
[Verb dictionary form] + 前に / [Noun] + の + 前に
買う前に値段をチェックする。
Kau mae ni nedan o chekku suru.
I check the price before buying.
買う (buy, dictionary form) + 前に (before)
会議の前にコーヒーを淹れる。
Kaigi no mae ni koohii o ireru.
I brew coffee before the meeting.
会議 (meeting, noun) + の + 前に — a noun needs the connecting の
寝る前に本を読みます。
Neru mae ni hon o yomimasu.
I read a book before going to bed.
寝る (go to bed, dictionary form) + 前に (before) — the verb before 前に stays in dictionary form
• Verbs before 前に always stay in the dictionary (non-past) form, even if the whole sentence is in the past: 買った前に is wrong — it must be 買う前に. The tense of the sentence is carried by the final verb. • Opposite: 〜たあとで / 〜てから (after).
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 前に is tested against.
These mean 'after'; 前に means 'before'. Note 前に always takes the dictionary form, while あとで takes the past (た) form.
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