antaŭ, post, apud, inter

Before, After, Beside, Between

Level 2

Antaŭ is in front or before, post is after, apud is beside, and inter is between.

How It Works

WordMeaningExample
antaŭin front of, beforeantaŭ la domo
postafterpost la kongreso
apudbeside, next toapud la rivero
interbetween, amonginter la arboj
malantaŭbehindmalantaŭ la domo

Antaŭ and post both work for time: antaŭ la kongreso is before the congress, and post la kongreso is after it. They also show order in a line: Ana iras antaŭ mi, kaj Kofi iras post mi.

Apud shows a close position at the side. Inter needs a group, or two things, on its sides: inter la domo kaj la rivero.

For a place behind something, PMEG says that malantaŭ is the usual word, so post is mostly for time and order. The noun after each of these words keeps its plain form.

Examples (5)

  1. La aŭto staras antaŭ la domo.

    The car is standing in front of the house.

    Antaŭ shows the front side.

  2. Mi sidas apud Kenji.

    I am sitting next to Kenji.

    Apud shows a close position at the side.

  3. La ĝardeno estas inter la domo kaj la rivero.

    The garden is between the house and the river.

    Inter has the house on one side and the river on the other.

  4. Ana iras antaŭ mi, kaj Kofi iras post mi.

    Ana walks in front of me, and Kofi walks after me.

    Antaŭ and post show order in a line.

  5. Post la kongreso ni vizitos Pollandon.

    After the congress we will visit Poland.

    Post is most often used for time.

Common Mistakes

  • Using inter with only one thing.

    Mi sidas inter Kenji.
    Mi sidas inter Kenji kaj Ana.

    Inter needs two things, or a group, on its sides. With one person, use apud.

How It Connects

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

antaŭ, post, apud, interLevel 2Before, After, Beside, Between

Learn This First

These four place words are used in the same way as the first group.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.