<aside> 📎 In this lesson, you will learn how to say and use -기 전에 [-gi jeo-ne] in sentences to express “before -ing” in Korean. As with many Korean expressions and prepositions, the order is the opposite of English. In English, the word “before” comes before the clause or word, but in Korean, it comes after.
<aside> 📎 The key syllable here is 전 [jeon]. The Chinese character for 전 is 前, and it means “before”, “front”, or “earlier”. To this, add the particle -에 [-e] to make it a preposition (a word that shows the relationship between the noun or pronoun and other words in the sentence).
</aside>
</aside>
수업 전에 [su-eop jeo-ne] = before class일요일 전에 [i-ryo-il jeo-ne] = before Sunday1시 전에 [han-si jeo-ne] = before 1 o’clock
Since 전에 is used after nouns, in order to use it with verbs such as “going” or “leaving”, the verbs need to be changed into nouns.
In the previous lesson, to use verbs before 같다 [gat-tta], the verbs were changed into their noun forms by using -(으)ㄴ/는 것. In this case, however, -기 [-gi] is used to change the verbs into nouns. (Do you remember this? If not, take a minute to go back and review Level 2, Lesson 14!)
가다 [ga-da] → 가기 [ga-gi] (going) → 가기 전에 = before going
사다 [sa-da] → 사기 [sa-gi] (buying) + 전에 → 사기 전에 = before buying
먹다 [meok-tta] → 먹기 [meok-kki] (eating) → 먹기 전에 = before eating
여기 오기 전에 뭐 했어요?[yeo-gi o-gi jeo-ne mwo hae-sseo-yo?]= What were you doing before you came here?
집에 가기 전에 술 마실 거예요.[ji-be ga-gi jeo-ne sul ma-sil kkeo-ye-yo.]= I am going to drink before I go home.* 집에 가다 = to go back home
들어오기 전에 노크하세요.[deu-reo-o-gi jeo-ne no-keu-ha-se-yo.]= Knock before you come in.* 들어오다 = to come in
사기 전에 잘 생각하세요.[sa-gi jeo-ne jal saeng-ga-ka-se-yo.]= Think well before you buy it.* 사다 = to buy
도망가기 전에 잡으세요.[do-mang-ga-gi jeo-ne ja-beu-se-yo.]= Catch him before he runs away.* 도망가다 = to run away