Before example sentences
Related (13): prior, earlier, previously, beforehand, preceding, anterior, advance, ahead, pre-, after, following, subsequently, later
"Before" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- before long
- the day before
- long before
- before you know it
- before now
- before that
- the night before
- before the fact
- before my eyes
- before it's too late
- before anything else
- before you ask
- before I forget
- before the end
Examples by Level
A1
- I eat breakfast before school every day.
- She called me before the movie started.
- We saw the rain before we left the house.
A2
- I'd never tried sushi before last week, and now I'm obsessed.
- He looked nervous before his first day at work.
- The sun goes down before dinner time in winter.
B1
- Looking back, I wish I'd asked for help before things got so messy.
- There's always that weird moment before you meet someone you've only talked to online.
- She knew something was wrong before anyone else said anything.
B2
- The city had been thriving for decades before the factory closures started the decline.
- He'd spent years building credibility before he was willing to take that kind of risk.
- There's a particular silence that falls before a difficult conversation — everyone feels it.
C1
- What we often mistake for spontaneity is actually meticulous planning done long before the moment arrives.
- The warning signs had been accumulating for months before anyone in power was willing to acknowledge them.
- She'd made her decision before the meeting even began — the discussion that followed was merely theater.
C2
- There's a peculiar kind of exhaustion that sets in when you've been bracing for something terrible before it actually happens — the anticipation itself becomes the wound.
- He understood, with the clarity that only hindsight provides, that everything had shifted before he'd even noticed the ground moving beneath him.
- The most unsettling part wasn't the collapse itself, but the realization that everyone had known, on some level, before anyone was brave enough to say it aloud.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- I always check my phone before I get out of bed — it's a terrible habit.
- The neighbors were arguing before sunrise, and it woke the whole street.
- My kid asked me a hundred questions before we even got to the store.
💼 Workplace
- The boss sent out the memo before the meeting, which kind of defeated the purpose.
- I usually grab coffee before my first call or I'm completely useless.
- Someone should've told me about the deadline before I spent two days on the wrong version.
📊 Business
- We need to secure funding before we can scale the operation any further.
- The market research showed strong demand before we even launched the product.
- Our competitors moved into that space before we realized it was an opportunity.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- I always read the reviews before I buy anything online now — learned that the hard way.
- The store was packed before noon, so I'm never shopping on a Saturday again.
- I should've checked the price elsewhere before committing to this brand.
✈️ Travel
- We booked the hotel before checking if there was a better option nearby.
- The flight was delayed for three hours before they even told us why.
- I always get anxious the night before a long trip — can't sleep properly.
📚 Education
- The teacher explained the concept before assigning the homework, which actually helped.
- Students need to read the chapter before class or the discussion doesn't work.
- I'd never heard of that author before taking this literature course.
❤️ Relationships
- We should've talked about this before things got so complicated between us.
- He texted me before I even realized I was upset — he just knew.
- I didn't understand what she meant until years before I finally got it.
📰 News / Politics
- The scandal broke before the official statement was even prepared.
- Polling data released before the election showed a much tighter race than expected.
- The administration had been warned before the crisis escalated to this point.
💻 Technology
- I'd never used this software before, but the tutorial made it pretty straightforward.
- The app crashed before I could save my work — lost everything.
- They released the update before fixing the major bugs, which was a mistake.
📝 Formal Writing
- Prior research conducted before this study suggested a correlation between the variables.
- The methodology was established before data collection commenced in order to ensure consistency.
- Several regulatory frameworks had been implemented before the industry standards were formally adopted.