2년 전에 한국에 왔습니다.
I came to Korea two years ago.
식사 전에 이 약을 드세요.
Please take this medicine before meals.
수영하기 전에 준비운동을 해요.
I do warm-up exercises before swimming.
Grammar Focus:
This pattern means ‘before a certain period of time’ or ‘before some action’, and corresponds to ‘before’, and ‘ago’ in English. It is used in the forms ‘Time 전에’, ‘Noun 전에’, and ‘Verb -기 전에’ in a sentence.
‘Noun 전에’ is used mainly with nouns to which 하다 can be added to make verbs. For this reason, -기 전에 can be added to the corresponding verb stem to produce the same meaning (식사 전에, 식사하기 전에). However, for all verbs other than 하다 verbs, only -기 전에 can be used.
Conversation:
A: 같이 점심식사해요. Let’s have lunch together.
B: 미안해요. 1 시간 전에 식사했어요.
Sorry. I ate an hour ago.
A: 한국에서는 결혼하기 전에 남자가 집을 준비해요.
In Korea, before getting married, the groom will secure a home.
B: 우리나라에서도 같아요.
It’s the same in my country.
A: 힌국에 오기 전에 어디에 살았어요?
Where did you live before coming to Korea?
B: 뉴욕에서 살았어요.
I lived in New York.
Notes:
What’s the difference between the expressions 1 시 전에 and 1 시간 전에?
• 1 시 전에 오세요.
(It means the person can come any time before 1:00, such as 12:50,12:00, or even 11:00.)
• 1 시간 전에 오세요.
(It means the person should come exactly one hour before some previously stated time. For example, if there is a meeting scheduled for 3:00, then the person should come at 2:00.)
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