trước khi

/t͡ɕɔ˧˥ kʰi˧˧/

A Vietnamese conjunction used to indicate that one event happens earlier in time than another event; translates to 'before' in English

Tôi đánh răng trước khi đi ngủ.

I brush my teeth before going to bed.

Etymology

The phrase combines 'trước', meaning 'ahead' or 'earlier' from Old Vietnamese, and 'khi', meaning 'when' or 'time', forming a temporal conjunction by the 15th century in written Vietnamese.

Memory Aid

Trước sounds close to the English 'true' — remember it is true that 'trước khi' comes 'before' the next event.

Collocations

vừa trước khingay trước khiít lâu trước khingay trước khi

Synonyms

trước lúctrước khi ấy

Antonyms

sau khi

Related Words

trướckhisaulúc