n.
the day before yesterday
前天
the day before yesterday
Literally 'front day' (前 front/before + 天 day). The day before yesterday (two days before today).
Common Usage & Traps
- 前天早上 — the morning of the day before yesterday
- 前天中午 — noon of the day before yesterday
- 前天下午 — the afternoon of the day before yesterday
- 前天晚上 — the evening of the day before yesterday
- 前天的事 — the matter from the day before yesterday
-
晚上前天前天晚上Chinese puts the day before the part of day: 前天晚上, not 晚上前天.
-
去前天前天去前天 is a time word, not a place you can go to. It sits before the action.
-
有个朋友告诉我前天前天有个朋友告诉我 / 有个朋友前天告诉我Time words do not trail the whole action like English 'told me the day before yesterday'.
Can you say 有个朋友告诉我前天?
No. 前天 goes before the verb, not after the whole action.
Chinese treats time like a timestamp. Put 前天 at the front or right after the subject. Both 前天有个朋友告诉我 and 有个朋友前天告诉我 work. But 有个朋友告诉我前天 leaves the time stranded after the action.
“前天有个朋友告诉我，要想了解老北京的文化，应该去老茶馆喝一次"大碗儿茶"。” (The day before yesterday, a friend told me that if you want to understand old Beijing culture, you should go to a traditional teahouse and try 'big bowl tea' at least once.)
“前天有个朋友告诉我，要想了解老北京的文化，应该去老茶馆喝一次"大碗儿茶"。” (The day before yesterday, a friend told me that if you want to understand old Beijing culture, you should go to a traditional teahouse and try 'big bowl tea' at least once.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence start | 前天有个朋友告诉我。 | 有个朋友告诉我前天。 |
| After subject | 有个朋友前天告诉我。 | 有个朋友告诉我前天。 |
| Time chunk order | 前天晚上 | 晚上前天 |
Can you say 我是前天来的 to stress when you came?
Yes. 是……的 frames 前天 to spotlight the time, not the action.
Use 是……的 when everyone knows you came, but when you came is the point. 我是前天来的 is natural. 我是来的前天 breaks the frame. You can also drop 是 and say 我前天来的, with a lighter emphasis.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Stress time | 我是前天来的。 | 我是来的前天。 |
| Lighter emphasis | 我前天来的。 | 我来的前天。 |
| With object | 我是前天买的票。 | 我是买票的前天。 |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Ever wondered where old Beijing's tea-drinking culture has gone? Follow a visitor discovering why locals now avoid famous tea houses—and practice expressing surprise and comparisons in Chinese along the way.
-
前天 有个朋友告诉我，要想了解老北京的文化，应该去老茶馆喝一次"大碗儿茶"。
Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.
-
前天 同学打电话。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
No questions or discussions yet. Have a question about this character/word? Be the first to ask!