まえに (mae ni) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Before
Anna Baffa Volpe
5 min reading time
Updated on 24 January 2023
The term まえに (mae ni) means before, ahead, ago, in front of.
It is used to describe something that happened before another thing, expressing time and it is also used in a context of space referring to something in front of another thing.
In this post we are going to learn all the possible meanings of まえに through example sentences in real contexts.
How まえに is formed
This word can be preceded by either a noun or a verb.
前に is the transcription in kanji
Its antonym is represented by 後で ato de meaning afterwards, after.
How and when まえに is used
まえに is used both when talking about something temporal and spatial.
Mae ni in spatial expression patterns
In this case the form follows the structure:
図書館の前には大勢の学生が待っていた。
A large number of students were waiting in front of the library.
すばらしい景色がさっと目の前に現れた。
A wonderful view suddenly appeared in front of me.
目の前に in front of my eyes
学校の前にある軽食屋に行こう。
Let's go to the snack bar in front of the school.
Mae ni in temporal expression patterns
In this case we find temporal expressions of various kinds or nouns that imply temporal contexts.
ジョギングの前に、たくさん水を飲みましょうね。
Let's drink plenty of water before jogging!
１週間前に彼に会った。
I met him a week ago.
Here are some useful structures:
- 10日前に
tōka mae ni: 10 days ago - 2ヶ月前に
nikagetsu mae ni: 2 months ago - ５年前に
gonen mae ni: 5 years ago
As we see in this kind of expressions the particle の is obmitted between the number and the numeric suffix expressing time and 前に.
前 can be followed by the particle の and becomes an adjective:
前の日に
The day before, the previous day
2年前の出来事
What happened two years ago
旅行の前にホテルを予約した方がいいよね。
It's better to book a hotel before the trip.
Before doing something
まえに is widely used in combintion with the plain form in present tense and refers to an action occurring before another.
国へ帰る前に、お土産を買います。
I buy souvenirs before going back to my country.
毎朝、家を出る前に、瞑想します。
I meditate every morning before leaving home.
The verb is used in its affirmative form.
- 買い物に行く前に before going shopping
- 決める前に before deciding something
Use of 前 in a title of an article from the Internet
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Support us to unlockDore gurai mae ni
Complete access to all the material published in the past and published new every week. Many more audio resources: listen to original audio sentences and dialogues with captions and explanations. Full dialogues to explain every grammar, word, or kanji in the details in a real Japanese context. All the material comes from original Japanese sources and websites, we do all the work to select the best material. We publish new articles, grammars, dialogues, audio, and many updates every week. By joining GokuGoku you will have complete access to all material published today and in the future.
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Our supporters have access to extra explanations, examples, audio, and more 🙏🏼
Support us to unlockExemples of まえに
３年前に、日本に来ました。
I came to Japan three years ago.
A
ごめん、待った？
Sorry, did you wait for me?
B
ううん、５分前に来たばかりだよ。
No, I just got here five minutes ago.
The form たばかり refers to something that just happened.
寝るまえに、歯みがきを忘れないでね。
Don't forget to brush your teeth before going to sleep.
大学を卒業する前に、色々なところに旅行したい。
Before I graduate from University, I want to travel to various places.
私は彼の前に出たら言葉が出なくなった。
I was speechless when I stood in front of him.
