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JLPT N5 · Grammar
Highlighted parts are the fixed pieces of the pattern; the rest changes with the word you attach it to.
## What it means 前に means "before ~ing". It's used to say that one thing happens before another.
## When to use it Attach 前に right after the **dictionary form** of a verb. 寝る前に歯を磨きます means "I brush my teeth before going to bed". Even if the whole sentence is about the past, the verb right before 前に still stays in the plain dictionary form — 日本に来る前に日本語を勉強しました ("I studied Japanese before coming to Japan") uses 来る, not 来た.
## Don't confuse it with 前に is the mirror image of **〜てから** ("after doing ~"). 食べる前に手を洗います means "wash your hands before eating", while 食べてから手を洗います would mean "wash your hands after eating" — completely different order of events, so it's worth double-checking which one you actually mean.
寝る前に歯を磨きます。
I brush my teeth before going to bed.
食べる前に手を洗ってください。
Please wash your hands before eating.
日本に来る前に日本語を勉強しました。
I studied Japanese before coming to Japan.
出かける前に天気を見ます。
I check the weather before heading out.
授業が始まる前に教室に着きました。
I arrived at the classroom before class started.
結婚する前に一緒に住んでいました。
We lived together before getting married.
旅行に行く前に荷物をまとめます。
I pack my bags before going on a trip.