前天
qiántiān
The day before yesterday
前天 (qiántiān) is the common way to say 'the day before yesterday' in Mandarin Chinese. It refers to the day that came before yesterday.
What does 前天 (qiántiān) mean?
前天 (qiántiān) means “the day before yesterday” in English. Word for word, it breaks down as “day before.”
When to use it
Neutral and commonly used. For 'yesterday', use 昨天 (zuótiān); for 'today', use 今天 (jīntiān); and for 'tomorrow', use 明天 (míngtiān).
How to pronounce it
Sounds like “CHYEN-tyen.” Both syllables have a high-level first tone.
Other ways to say it
- 昨天zuótiānyesterday
- 今天jīntiāntoday
- 明天míngtiāntomorrow
Examples
我前天去了上海。
wǒ qiántiān qù le Shànghǎi.
I went to Shanghai the day before yesterday.
你前天晚上吃了什么？
nǐ qiántiān wǎnshang chī le shénme?
What did you eat the night before last?
前天下的雨很大。
qiántiān xià de yǔ hěn dà.
The rain the day before yesterday was very heavy.
Pro tip: Remember the sequence of common time words: 前天 (day before yesterday), 昨天 (yesterday), 今天 (today), 明天 (tomorrow), and 后天 (day after tomorrow).
Related phrases
昨天 · Yesterday后天 · The day after tomorrow周末 · Weekend
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