Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Former; previous; preceding: Refers to something that existed or occurred earlier in time or order.
   • Front; fore: Indicates the forward-facing part or position of something.

2. Adverb:

   • Before; earlier; previously: Indicates an action or event occurring prior to another point in time.
   • Ahead; in front: Indicates a position that is forward or ahead in space.
   • First; beforehand: Indicates doing something prior to another action or as a preparatory step.

3. Preposition:

   • Before (in time): Indicates a point in time earlier than another.
   • In front of; before (in space): Indicates a location facing or ahead of something.
   • In the face of; in the presence of: Indicates being confronted with or in the context of a situation.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • Ông ấy là tổng thống trước. (He is the former president.)
  • Xin lật lại trang trước. (Please turn back to the previous page.)
  • Chân trước của con chó bị thương. (The dog's front leg is injured.)

• Adverb:

  • Tôi đã gặp cô ấy trước đây. (I met her before.)
  • Bạn hãy đi trước đi, tôi sẽ theo sau. (You go ahead, I will follow.)
  • Anh ấy luôn trả tiền trước. (He always pays beforehand.)

• Preposition:

  • Chúng tôi sẽ hoàn thành trước thứ Sáu. (We will finish before Friday.)
  • Có một cái cây trước nhà tôi. (There is a tree in front of my house.)
  • Cô ấy rất bình tĩnh trước nguy hiểm. (She is very calm in the face of danger.)

Advanced Usage

• "về trước": ago, before (a past point in time).

  • Sự kiện này xảy ra 10 năm về trước. (This event happened 10 years ago.)

• "ngay trước": just before, immediately preceding.

  • Anh ấy đến ngay trước khi cuộc họp bắt đầu. (He arrived just before the meeting started.)

Variants and Related Words

• Trước đây (adv phrase): in the past, formerly.

  • Trước đây, nơi này là một cánh đồng. (In the past, this place was a field.)

• Trước hết / Đầu tiên (adv): first of all, firstly.

  • Trước hết, chúng ta cần xác định vấn đề. (First of all, we need to identify the problem.)

• Trước khi (conjunction): before (introducing a clause).

  • Hãy rửa tay trước khi ăn. (Wash your hands before you eat.)

Synonyms

• Before: earlier in time.
• In front of: located ahead in space.
• Former: of an earlier time.
• Previous: coming before.
• First: preceding all others.

Related Idioms

• Trước sau như một: to be consistent from start to finish; unchanging.

  • Anh ấy trước sau như một, luôn giữ vững lập trường. (He is consistent, always maintaining his stance.)

• Được voi đòi tiên: Literally "given an elephant, (you) demand a fairy"; to be never satisfied, to ask for too much after being given something. Often used with "được... lại đòi..." structure.

  • Đừng có được voi đòi tiên! (Don't be so greedy / never satisfied!)

adj

1. former; first

adv

1. before, ahead last, past first; before hand