Before in Different Languages
Discover 'Before' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'before' holds a significant place in our vocabulary, denoting the idea of preceding events or occurrences in time. Its cultural importance is evident in literature, music, and art, where it is used to create a sense of chronology, causality, and sequence. Understanding the translation of 'before' in different languages can provide valuable insights into the nuances of various cultures and their unique ways of perceiving and expressing time.
For instance, in Spanish, 'before' is translated as 'antes', while in French, it is 'avant'. In German, the word for 'before' is 'vor', and in Japanese, it is '先' (saki). These translations not only reflect linguistic diversity but also offer a glimpse into the cultural perspectives of different societies.
So, whether you're a language enthusiast, a cultural explorer, or simply curious about the world around you, learning the translation of 'before' in various languages can be a fascinating journey of discovery. Read on to explore the many translations of this simple yet powerful word!
Before
Before in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | voorheen | ||
| In Dutch, "voorheen" has the dual meaning of "before" and "previously". | |||
| Amharic | ከዚህ በፊት | ||
| The word ከዚህ በፊት can also mean "previously" or "in the past." | |||
| Hausa | kafin | ||
| The word “kafin” in Hausa can also mean “in front of” or “opposite”. | |||
| Igbo | tupu | ||
| Igbo word "tupu" also means "formerly" or "once upon a time." | |||
| Malagasy | alohan'ny | ||
| "Alohan'ny" is a Malagasy word that can also mean "earlier" or "formerly." | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kale | ||
| Kale can refer to "in front of" or "before". | |||
| Shona | pamberi | ||
| Pamberi can also mean "past", but this usage is mainly found in traditional stories and poems. | |||
| Somali | ka hor | ||
| Somali 'ka hor' means 'before', 'in front of', or 'on behalf of'. | |||
| Sesotho | pele ho | ||
| The Sesotho word "pele ho" not only means "before" but also relates to the front or first position of something. | |||
| Swahili | kabla | ||
| The word "kabla" can also refer to a place or time period before something else. | |||
| Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
| The word "ngaphambili" is also used to refer to the front of something or to the future. | |||
| Yoruba | ṣaaju | ||
| Ṣaaju can also mean "in front of" or "facing". | |||
| Zulu | ngaphambi | ||
| "Ngaphambi" can also mean "earlier" or "in the past." | |||
| Bambara | fɔlɔ | ||
| Ewe | do ŋgɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | mbere | ||
| Lingala | liboso | ||
| Luganda | mu kusooka | ||
| Sepedi | pele ga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ansa na | ||
Before in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | قبل | ||
| The word 'قبل' can also mean 'in front of', 'facing towards', or 'opposite to' in Arabic. | |||
| Hebrew | לפני | ||
| The word 'לפני' also means 'in front of', 'in the presence of', or 'in accordance with'. | |||
| Pashto | مخکې | ||
| The word "مخکې" in Pashto can also refer to the front of something or the beginning of a period of time | |||
| Arabic | قبل | ||
| The word 'قبل' can also mean 'in front of', 'facing towards', or 'opposite to' in Arabic. | |||
Before in Western European Languages
| Albanian | para | ||
| The Albanian word "parë" (before) is also used figuratively to mean "better" or "first in importance". | |||
| Basque | aurretik | ||
| The word "aurretik" comes from the root "aurre" (front) and the suffix "-tik" (from), meaning literally "from the front". | |||
| Catalan | abans | ||
| The word "abans" is derived from the Latin "abante", meaning "from the front". | |||
| Croatian | prije | ||
| In Croatian, "prije" can also refer to an "occurrence" or a "case". | |||
| Danish | før | ||
| The word "Før" is also used to mean "last year" or "ago" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | voordat | ||
| "Voordat" is a portmanteau of "voor" (meaning "for") and "dat" (meaning "the") and can thus also mean "to be in front of" or "for that purpose". | |||
| English | before | ||
| The word 'before' comes from the Old English word 'beforan', which means 'in front of' or 'earlier than'. It is also used to refer to a place or time that is ahead of another place or time. | |||
| French | avant | ||
| The word "avant" in French can also mean "in front of" or "facing". | |||
| Frisian | foar | ||
| The Frisian word "foar" can also mean "in front of" or "in the presence of". | |||
| Galician | antes | ||
| The word "antes" comes from the Latin "ante", meaning "in front of" or "prior to" and can also refer to something that happened previously in Galician. | |||
| German | vor | ||
| In Middle High German, "vor" also meant "for" and "because of". | |||
| Icelandic | áður | ||
| The Old Norse word 'áður' originally referred to the front of a boat, and later came to mean 'in the past' | |||
| Irish | roimh | ||
| In Irish, "roimh" can also mean "in front of" or "beforehand," and is cognate with the Latin word "Roma," or "Rome." | |||
| Italian | prima | ||
| The word "prima" can also mean "for the first time" or "the first one". | |||
| Luxembourgish | virun | ||
| The word "virun" can also mean "too far back" or "ahead of time" in Luxembourgish. | |||
| Maltese | qabel | ||
| Qabel may also refer to a type of Maltese folk song, a type of Maltese folk dance, or the first part of the Christian name of a Maltese person. | |||
| Norwegian | før | ||
| "Før" can also mean "to deceive" or "to lure", a meaning derived from its role in the phrase "føre bak lyset" (lit. "to lead behind the light"), meaning "to fool". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | antes | ||
| In Portuguese, the word "antes" also means "previously" or "formerly". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | roimhe seo | ||
| In certain contexts the word "roimhe seo" can also mean "so far". | |||
| Spanish | antes de | ||
| "Antes de" is also used in Spanish to mean "previously" or "formerly." | |||
| Swedish | innan | ||
| Innan, the Swedish word for "before," also has an alternate meaning: "within." | |||
| Welsh | o'r blaen | ||
| 'O'r Blaen' can also refer to the first verse of a Welsh englyn (strophic poem). | |||
Before in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | раней | ||
| The Belarusian word "раней" also means "formerly" and "previously" in English. | |||
| Bosnian | prije | ||
| The Slavic word 'prije' ('before') derives from the Proto-Slavic word 'pry', also meaning 'in front of' and 'on the other side'. | |||
| Bulgarian | преди | ||
| The word "преди" can also mean "previously" or "earlier". | |||
| Czech | před | ||
| The word "před" comes from the Proto-Slavic word *predъ, which also means "near" or "in front of." | |||
| Estonian | enne | ||
| The word "enne" can also refer to a place or position in front of something or someone. | |||
| Finnish | ennen | ||
| The word "ennen" is also used to express "formerly" or "previously." | |||
| Hungarian | előtt | ||
| Előtt can also mean "in front of" or "opposite". | |||
| Latvian | pirms | ||
| The archaic use of "pirms" in Latvian denotes a spatial relation of superiority. | |||
| Lithuanian | prieš | ||
| In Latvian, the word "prieš" also means "against". | |||
| Macedonian | порано | ||
| The word "порано" can also refer to the period of time before dawn. | |||
| Polish | przed | ||
| "Przed" means "before," but also "in the presence of" or "in front of" | |||
| Romanian | inainte de | ||
| The Romanian word "înainte de" is derived from the Latin "antea". It can also mean "ahead" or "in front of". | |||
| Russian | до | ||
| "До" also means "until" or "to, up to, as far as". | |||
| Serbian | пре него што | ||
| Пре него што (pre nego što) has alternate meanings of "as soon as" or "after", depending on the verb it is used with. | |||
| Slovak | predtým | ||
| "Predtým" is the Slovak word for "before". It is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *predь, which also means "before". | |||
| Slovenian | prej | ||
| Prej derives from Proto-Slavic *prědьe, meaning "in front of", and has additional meanings, such as "previously" and "formerly". | |||
| Ukrainian | раніше | ||
| The word "раніше" can also mean "formerly" or "previously" in Ukrainian. | |||
Before in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | আগে | ||
| আগে can also mean "in front of" or "ahead of". | |||
| Gujarati | પહેલાં | ||
| “પહેલાં” is also used in a context of "formerly" and "previous" in Gujarati. | |||
| Hindi | इससे पहले | ||
| इससे पहले' (isse pahale) can mean 'until' or 'as soon as' as well as 'before' in Hindi. | |||
| Kannada | ಮೊದಲು | ||
| The word 'ಮೊದಲು' can also mean 'the beginning' or 'the first time'. | |||
| Malayalam | മുമ്പ് | ||
| The Malayalam word "മുമ്പ്" ("mumpu") is related to the Proto-Dravidian root, "*muppu" ("before, in front"), which signifies precedence in both time and space. | |||
| Marathi | आधी | ||
| The Marathi word "आधी" (aadi) is also used to mean "the beginning" or "the first part of something." | |||
| Nepali | पहिले | ||
| पहिले in Nepali also means "west". | |||
| Punjabi | ਅੱਗੇ | ||
| "ਅੱਗੇ" derives from Sanskrit "agra" which can also mean "front, tip, edge or chief". | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කලින් | ||
| The word "කලින්" is also used in Sinhala to denote "formerly" or "in the past". | |||
| Tamil | முன் | ||
| The word "முன்" can also mean "front" or "anterior". | |||
| Telugu | ముందు | ||
| The word "ముందు" can also mean "in front of", "ahead", or "leading". | |||
| Urdu | پہلے | ||
| The word "پہلے" ( pahlay ) can also mean "formerly" or "previously" in Urdu. | |||
Before in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 之前 | ||
| The word “之前” can also mean “previously” or “previously mentioned”. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 之前 | ||
| 之前 is formed by the characters 先 (prior) + 前 (front). | |||
| Japanese | 前 | ||
| "前" can also mean "front" or "former." | |||
| Korean | 전에 | ||
| The word "전에" can also refer to being prior to something chronologically or in terms of order. | |||
| Mongolian | өмнө нь | ||
| In Mongolian, 'өмнө нь' ('before') can also refer to a time or place in the past, or to something that happened earlier. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | မတိုင်မီ | ||
Before in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | sebelum | ||
| Sebelum can also mean 'at that time' or 'while' depending on the context. | |||
| Javanese | sadurunge | ||
| The Javanese word "sadurunge" can also mean "before" in a figurative sense, such as "beforehand" or "in advance". | |||
| Khmer | មុន | ||
| The Khmer word "មុន" can also mean "beginning" or "origin". | |||
| Lao | ກ່ອນ | ||
| "ກ່ອນ" (before) is also used to express the idea of "previously" or "formerly" | |||
| Malay | sebelum ini | ||
| "Sebelum ini" also means "previously" or "earlier". | |||
| Thai | ก่อน | ||
| "ก่อน" can also mean "earlier" or "in advance". | |||
| Vietnamese | trước | ||
| The word "trước" (before) also has the meaning of the "outside" in chess, or the "front" of a building. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dati | ||
Before in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | əvvəl | ||
| The word "əvvəl" in Azerbaijani is derived from the Persian word "avval," meaning "beginning" or "first." | |||
| Kazakh | бұрын | ||
| Бұрын in Kazakh can also mean earlier or previous. | |||
| Kyrgyz | чейин | ||
| The word "чейин" can also refer to the "front" or "first" part of something. | |||
| Tajik | пеш | ||
| The word "пеш" also means "at first" or "in front" in Tajik | |||
| Turkmen | öň | ||
| Uzbek | oldin | ||
| In addition to meaning "before," "oldin" can also mean "ancient" or "in the past." | |||
| Uyghur | ئىلگىرى | ||
Before in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | ma mua | ||
| The Hawaiian word "ma mua" not only means "before" but also refers to "the front," "the forehead," or "the face." | |||
| Maori | tuhinga o mua | ||
| The term 'Tuhinga o mua' can also refer to ancient Maori texts or writings | |||
| Samoan | muamua | ||
| The Samoan word "muamua" can also mean "chief" or "first" | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dati pa | ||
| Dati pa is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Dati,' which means 'former time, past. | |||
Before in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | nayrja | ||
| Guarani | mboyve | ||
Before in International Languages
| Esperanto | antaŭe | ||
| "Antaŭe" is derived from the Latin "ante". | |||
| Latin | ante | ||
| In Latin, "ante" also means "in front of, opposite to, at the house of", and "facing". | |||
Before in Others Languages
| Greek | πριν | ||
| Besides meaning "before," πρίν also meant "until" and "sooner, previously." | |||
| Hmong | ua ntej | ||
| "Ua ntej" can also mean "first" or "foremost". | |||
| Kurdish | berî | ||
| In some Kurdish dialects, "berî" also means "in front of" or "in the presence of". | |||
| Turkish | önce | ||
| Alternately, "önce" in Turkish can also mean "in front of", "earlier", or "previously". | |||
| Xhosa | ngaphambili | ||
| The word "ngaphambili" is also used to refer to the front of something or to the future. | |||
| Yiddish | איידער | ||
| איידער can also be an adverb which means "rather" or "preferable" | |||
| Zulu | ngaphambi | ||
| "Ngaphambi" can also mean "earlier" or "in the past." | |||
| Assamese | আগতে | ||
| Aymara | nayrja | ||
| Bhojpuri | पहिले | ||
| Dhivehi | ކުރިން | ||
| Dogri | पैहलें | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dati | ||
| Guarani | mboyve | ||
| Ilocano | sakbay | ||
| Krio | bifo | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێش | ||
| Maithili | पहिने | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯃꯃꯥꯡꯗ | ||
| Mizo | hmaah | ||
| Oromo | dura | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୂର୍ବରୁ | ||
| Quechua | ñawpaq | ||
| Sanskrit | पूर्वम् | ||
| Tatar | элек | ||
| Tigrinya | ቅድሚ | ||
| Tsonga | ku nga si | ||