未...之前

Before (With 未)

Level 4Sounds Like mei6 . . . zi1 cin4

The pattern 未...之前 (mei6... zi1 cin4) is the most natural way to say 'before' in spoken Cantonese. Even though 未 (mei6) usually means 'not yet', here it is redundant and simply emphasizes that the event hasn't happened yet at the time being discussed.

How It Works

This pattern is a classic example of pleonastic negation—where a negative word is used without making the sentence negative.

1. Structure:
The pattern wraps around a Verb Phrase or a full clause:

  • 未 + [Verb/Clause] + 之前

2. Usage vs. Mandarin/English:
In English, we say 'Before I go'. In Cantonese, the literal logic is 'Before I have not yet gone'. This does not mean 'Before I didn't go'; it simply points to the time prior to the action starting.

3. Register:
While using 之前 (zi1 cin4) alone is grammatically correct, adding the 未 (mei6) is a hallmark of natural, idiomatic speech. Omitting it in conversation can sometimes sound slightly formal or 'bookish'.

4. Constraints:
This pattern works with actions, events or states. You cannot use it with simple time nouns. For example, 'Before 3 o'clock' is simply 三點之前 (saam1 dim2 zi1 cin4), never *未三點之前.

Examples (4)

  1. 未落雨之前，我哋快啲走啦。

    Before it rains, let's leave quickly.

    Word by Word: Not-yet fall rain before, we fast a-bit leave [particle].

    Here, 未落雨 (mei6 lok6 jyu5) doesn't mean it won't rain; it sets the timeframe to 'before the rain starts'.

  2. 佢未嚟香港之前喺英國住。

    Before he came to Hong Kong, he lived in the UK.

    Word by Word: He not-yet come Hong Kong before at UK live.

    The pattern wraps around the clause 佢嚟香港 (keoi5 lai4 hoeng1 gong2) to indicate the period of time before his arrival.

  3. 未清楚件事之前，唔好亂講嘢。

    Before you are clear about the matter, don't talk nonsense.

    Word by Word: Not-yet clear [classifier] matter before, don't randomly speak things.

    This shows the pattern used with an adjective/stative verb 清楚 (cing1 co2) to describe a state that hasn't been reached yet.

  4. 我未食飯之前去咗做運動。

    Before I ate, I went to exercise.

    Word by Word: I not-yet eat rice before go [perfective] do exercise.

    Even though the exercise happened in the past, the 未 (mei6) is still used because at the moment of exercising, the meal had 'not yet' happened.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 未…之前 when you mean 'after it rained'.

    Different Meaning未落雨之前，我哋唔使帶遮。
    落咗雨之後，我哋唔使帶遮。

    未落雨之前，我哋唔使帶遮 is natural: 未…之前 means 'before it starts raining', and 未 here is not a plain negative. For 'after it has rained', use ...之後 (zi1 hau6): 落咗雨之後，我哋唔使帶遮.

  • Using '未' with specific time points or nouns.

    未禮拜一之前要交。
    禮拜一之前要交。

    The '未' (mei6) marker only attaches to verbs or events that 'happen'. It cannot be used with static time points like 'Monday' or '5 PM'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

未...之前Level 4Before (With 未)

Learn This First

To understand '未...之前', learners first need to know how to express 'before' using '...之前'. They also need to be familiar with the negator '未' (not yet), as this pattern uses it to emphasize that the action had not yet occurred at the time being discussed.

Words in This Pattern