before

beginnerA1

/bɪˈfɔːr/ · be-fore

At a time earlier than (the point in time mentioned).

Meanings

prepositionformal

At a time earlier than (the point in time mentioned).

ایک وقت میں جس وقت مذکورہ وقت سے پہلے ہوتا ہے۔

پہلے

pehle

Synonyms

prior toahead ofearlier thanپہلےقبلپہلے سے

Antonyms

afterlaterfollowingبعدبعد میںتازہ ترین

Common Collocations

  • before dinner
  • before dawn
  • before the meeting

Example Sentences

I usually wake up before sunrise.

میں عام طور پر سورج طلوع ہونے سے پہلے جاگتا ہوں۔

Main aam tor par sooraj tuloo hone se pehle jagta hoon.

He arrived before the event started.

وہ تقریب شروع ہونے سے پہلے پہنچا۔

Woh tareekh shuru hone se pehle pahuncha.

Please submit your assignment before the deadline.

براہ کرم اپنی اسائنمنٹ حتمی تاریخ سے پہلے جمع کروائیں۔

Barah-e-karam apni assignment hatmi tareekh se pehle jama karwain.

Easily Confused With

beforehand:Beforehand means in advance or prior to something happening, while 'before' simply refers to an earlier time.
adverbinformal

At an earlier time; previously.

پہلے، پہلے سے۔

پہلے

pehle

Synonyms

previouslyformerlyearlierپہلےپیشترقبل

Antonyms

afterlaterبعدبعد میں

Common Collocations

  • done before
  • seen before
  • met before

Example Sentences

I had seen that movie before.

میں نے وہ فلم پہلے دیکھی ہے۔

Main ne woh film pehle dekhi hai.

She called me before.

اس نے مجھے پہلے بلایا تھا۔

Us ne mujhe pehle bulaya tha.

I knew him before our school days.

میں اسے اپنے اسکول کے دنوں سے پہلے جانتا تھا۔

Main use apne school ke dino se pehle janta tha.

Easily Confused With

previous:Previous refers specifically to something that came directly before in a sequence, whereas 'before' can be used more generally.

Word Family

fore
prefixپہلے
forenoon
nounپہلا پہر

See Also

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 'before' as a time guide, leading you to events that happened earlier.

Imagine a clock with its hands pointing to an earlier hour.

✍️ Urdu Poetry

دوست پہلے کی باتیں بھول کر تو ، کیوں میرے دل کو تنگ کرتی ہے؟

Dost pehle ki baatein bhool kar tu, kyun mere dil ko tang karti hai?

Why do you trouble my heart, forgetting the past conversations?

Unknown, Unverified

* Poetry attribution is AI-generated and may require verification.

🗣️ Urdu Proverb

پہل کرنے کا پھل ہمیشہ میٹھا ہوتا ہے۔

pehl karne ka phal hamesha meetha hota hai.

The fruit of taking initiative is always sweet.

📖 Etymology

Origin: Old English "beforan" — in front of

First known use: before 12th century

The word 'before' comes from the Old English 'beforan,' which means 'in front of, ahead of.' Its usage evolved to denote time, referring to something occurring earlier than another event.