before
/bɪˈfɔː(r)/preposition, conjunction
उच्चारण बिफ़ॉर
से पहले; के सामने
Basic word
- 1
earlier than somebody or something; in front of somebody or something; in a more important position than somebody or something
से पहले; के सामने
- before lunch
- He appeared before the judge.
- Duty comes before pleasure.
+ 4 more examples
- Please submit the form before Friday.
- Wash your hands before you eat.
- Radhika arrived before the others and opened the door.
- The accused stood before the court.
Synonyms prior to earlier than ahead of in front of in advance of
- 1
at a time in the past; already
पहले
- I've seen this film before.
- I have never been here before.
- She had met him the week before.
+ 1 more example
- Have you tried this dish before?
Synonyms previously earlier already formerly
Opposite afterwards later
§Structures (grammar patterns) 5
before + noun / pronoun / gerund (preposition)
As a preposition, before is followed by a noun, a pronoun or an -ing form, and means earlier than that time or event.
Preposition के रूप में 'before' के बाद noun, pronoun या -ing रूप आता है और इसका अर्थ उस समय या घटना से पहले है।
- Radhika reached the exam hall before nine o'clock.
- Wash your hands before eating.
before + clause (conjunction)
As a conjunction, before joins two clauses. The clause after before uses the present tense for the future, not will.
Conjunction के रूप में 'before' दो clauses को जोड़ता है। Before के बाद वाले clause में भविष्य के लिए present tense आता है, will नहीं।
- Call me before you leave for the station.
- He had finished the paper before the bell rang.
before (adverb) with the perfect tenses
As an adverb, before means at an earlier time and usually stands at the end of the sentence. It goes naturally with the present perfect or past perfect.
Adverb के रूप में 'before' का अर्थ 'पहले कभी' है और वह प्रायः वाक्य के अंत में आता है। यह present perfect या past perfect के साथ स्वाभाविक रूप से आता है।
- I have seen this film before.
- She said she had met him before.
the day / week / year before; two years before
Before can follow a time expression to show how much earlier something was. The time expression comes first.
Before किसी समय-अभिव्यक्ति के बाद आकर बता सकता है कि कोई घटना कितनी पहले हुई। समय-अभिव्यक्ति पहले आती है।
- The exam was held the day before the festival.
- He had left two years before the war began.
before vs ago
Ago counts back from now (two years ago). Before counts back from a point in the past (two years before that).
'Ago' अभी से पीछे गिनता है (two years ago)। 'Before' अतीत के किसी बिंदु से पीछे गिनता है (two years before that)।
- He moved to Delhi three years ago, having studied in Patna two years before.
+Collocations 4
just / long / shortly / well + before
justlongshortlywellright
- The train had left long before we reached the station.
verb + before + noun
arrivefinishsubmitcompleteleave
- Submit the form before the last date.
before + time expression
before dawnbefore noonbefore midnightbefore the monsoonbefore long
- The village was awake before dawn for the festival.
never / ever + before
nevereveroncenot ... beforeas never
- She had never been on a plane before.
“More examples 5
- Think carefully before you answer the last question.
अंतिम प्रश्न का उत्तर देने से पहले ध्यान से सोचिए।
- The names are arranged in alphabetical order, with C before D.
नाम वर्णानुक्रम में हैं, जिसमें C, D से पहले आता है।
- The accused stood before the judge with his head bowed.
अभियुक्त सिर झुकाए न्यायाधीश के सामने खड़ा था।
- Never before had the school won a national trophy.
विद्यालय ने इससे पहले कभी कोई राष्ट्रीय ट्रॉफी नहीं जीती थी।
- We have a long journey before us, so let us start early.
हमारे सामने लंबी यात्रा है, इसलिए जल्दी शुरू करें।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ Please call me before you will leave.
✓ Please call me before you leave.
After before, a future meaning is shown by the present simple, not will.
'Before' के बाद भविष्य का अर्थ present simple से दिखाया जाता है, will से नहीं।
✗ He came here two years before.
✓ He came here two years ago.
To count back from now, use ago; before needs a past reference point.
अभी से पीछे गिनने के लिए 'ago' आता है; 'before' के लिए अतीत का कोई संदर्भ-बिंदु चाहिए।
✗ She reached the station before the train will arrive.
✓ She reached the station before the train arrived.
In a past sentence, the clause after before also takes a past tense.
भूतकाल के वाक्य में 'before' के बाद वाला clause भी past tense में होता है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These words all deal with earlier time, but they differ in how the earlier point is fixed.
ये सभी शब्द पहले के समय से जुड़े हैं, पर पहले के बिंदु को तय करने के तरीके में भिन्न हैं।
Earlier than a stated point in time or an event.
बताए गए समय-बिंदु या घटना से पहले।
- Reach before six.
prior to
A formal way to say before; it is used only as a preposition.
Before का औपचारिक रूप; यह केवल preposition के रूप में आता है।
- Prior to the interview, candidates must submit their documents.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
Synonyms
prior to earlier than ahead of in front of in advance of previously earlier already formerly
Antonyms
§Grammar and usage
Before (conjunction) is followed by the present tense when talking about the future ('Call me before you leave', not 'before you will leave'); before is used with the present perfect ('I have met him before'); keep apart before (at any earlier time) and ago (counting back from now: 'two years ago').
यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: भविष्य की बात करते समय before (conjunction) के बाद present tense आता है ('Call me before you leave', 'before you will leave' नहीं); before present perfect के साथ प्रयुक्त होता है ('I have met him before'); before (किसी भी पहले के समय) और ago (अभी से पीछे गिनकर: 'two years ago') को अलग रखिए।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Before long (soon), before you know it (very quickly), cast pearls before swine, put the cart before the horse (do things in the wrong order), look before you leap (think before you act), pride goes before a fall.
Idioms: before long (जल्दी ही), before you know it (बहुत जल्दी), cast pearls before swine, put the cart before the horse (उलटे क्रम में काम करना), look before you leap (कार्य से पहले सोचो), pride goes before a fall (घमंड का सिर नीचा)।