How to say Before in Korean?
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Verb + 기 전에
-기 전에 is a Korean grammatical form that means "before doing something" something else happens. -기 전에 is attached to a verb stem.
(e.g. I am washing hands before having lunch.)
See examples,
(click on translation and grammar buttons)
저는 아침을 먹기 전에 이를 닦았어요.
Korean
저
아침
먹다
이
닦다
English
I
morning, breakfast
to eat
teeth, this
to brush, to clean
I brushed my teeth before I had breakfast.
저는 아침을 먹기 전에 이를 닦+았+어요.
저는 옷을 입기 전에 샤워를 했어요.
Korean
옷
입다
샤워하다 / 샤워를 하다
English
clothes
to get dressed
to take shower
I had a shower before I got dressed.
저는 옷을 입기 전에 샤워를 하+였+어요.
우리가 일을 시작하기 전에 커피를 마십니다.
Korean
우리
일
시작하다
커피
마시다
English
we
work
to start
coffee
to drink
We drink coffee before we start work.
우리가 일을 시작하기 전에 커피를 마시+ㅂ니다.
Noun + 전에
It's also possible to use 전에 with nouns. It is usually translated as "ago" or "before".
(e.g. I came to school before 9 a.m.)
See examples,
(click on translation and grammar buttons)
조부모님이 조금 전에 오셨어요.
Korean
조부모님
조금
오다
English
grandparents
a little
to come
My grandparents came a little while ago.
조부모+님+이 조금 전에 오+시+었+어요.
저는 1시간 전에 돌아왔어요.
Korean
시간
돌아오다
English
counter word for hours
to come back
I came back an hour ago.
저는 1시간 전에 돌아오+았+어요.
저는 오전 9시 전에 학교에 왔습니다.
Korean
저
오전
시
학교
오다
English
I
a.m.
hour
school
to come
I came to school before 9 a.m.
저는 오전 9시 전에 학교에 오+았+습니다.
Quick reference (click to open)
Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
Consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, j
Syllable: Bra-zil (2 syllables), Ar-gen-ti-na (4), In-di-a (3), Viet-nam (2), thin-king (2), beau-ti-ful (3), good (1)
Batchim: is a final consonant in a syllable. → Bra-zil (batchim: 'l'), Ar-gen-ti-na (batchims: 'r' and 'n'), In-di-a ('n'), Viet-nam ('t', 'm')
Romanization: is a conversion of text (not pronunciation ! ) from different writing system (Korean, Arabic, Russian, etc.) to the Roman (Latin) alphabet.
IPA: is an alphabetic system of phonetic (pronunciation) notation.
Noun: road, user, sister, table, sky
Pronoun: I, my, we, you, they, her
Verb: to go, to study, to think, to feel
Adjective: cold, kind, hungry, curious, expensive
Adverb: quickly, nicely, never, exactly, urgently
Preposition: from, to, on, in, with, till
Conjuction: and, because, if, but, while
Declarative sentence: I learn Korean.
Interrogative sentence: Do you learn Korean?
Imperative sentence: You must learn Korean!
Exclamative sentence: Wow, you learn Korean!
Verb / Adj. stem in Korean: part of a verb or adj. which is left after removing the last syllable -다 ( e.g. 가다 → 가, 예쁘다 → 예쁘, 듣다 → 듣 ).