Decoded Slug: 以前 (yǐqián) - Before, in the past
Mandarin Grammar Point
以前 (yǐqián) - Before, in the past
以前 (yǐqián) - Before, in the past
Short explanation:
Used to indicate that something happened or was true in the past.
Formation:
Subject + 以前 + Verb/Adjective + Rest of the sentence
Examples:
以前我不懂得欣赏咖啡的味道，但现在我爱上了咖啡。
Yǐqián wǒ bù dǒngdé xīnshǎng kāfēi de wèidào, dàn xiànzài wǒ ài shàng le kāfēi.
I did not understand the taste of coffee before, but now I have fallen in love with coffee.
你以前有过养狗的经验吗？
Nǐ yǐqián yǒu guò yǎng gǒu de jīngyàn ma?
Do you have experience with raising dogs in the past?
以前这里有一座桥，现在已经没了。
Yǐqián zhèlǐ yǒuyīzuò qiáo, xiànzài yǐjīng méile.
There used to be a bridge here in the past, but now it's gone.
他以前是一个老师，现在成了一个作家。
Tā yǐqián shì yīgè lǎoshī, xiànzài chéngle yīgè zuòjiā.
He was a teacher before, now he has become a writer.
Long explanation:
The Mandarin Chinese term '以前 (yǐqián)' is used to express a time prior to a certain point or situation, signifying that an event or condition occurred or existed 'before' or 'in the past.' It could refer to an earlier moment in time on a smaller scale (like earlier in the day) or on a larger scale (like years ago).