qiántiān: 前天 - The day before yesterday

• Keywords: qiantian, 前天, day before yesterday in Chinese, Chinese time words, qian tian, qiántiān, Mandarin for yesterday, how to say two days ago in Chinese, 前天 vs 昨天, HSK 1 vocabulary
• Summary: Learn how to say “the day before yesterday” in Mandarin Chinese with the word 前天 (qiántiān). This guide breaks down the characters, explains the unique Chinese concept of time, and provides ten practical example sentences. A crucial HSK 1 vocabulary word, 前天 (qiántiān) is a fundamental term for discussing past events in everyday conversation.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): qiántiān
• Part of Speech: Time Noun / Adverb
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: The day before yesterday.
• In a Nutshell: 前天 (qiántiān) is the specific and most common way to say “the day before yesterday.” It's a simple, literal compound word that you will hear and use constantly when talking about recent past events. It functions just like its English counterpart, setting the time frame for a sentence, usually at the beginning.

• 前 (qián): This character's primary meaning is “front,” “before,” or “ago.” Think of time as a path you are walking. Events in the past are “in front” of you on this path that you've already traversed.
• 天 (tiān): This character means “day” or “sky.” In this context, it clearly means “day.”

When combined, 前天 (qiántiān) literally translates to “before day.” The implied reference point is 昨天 (zuótiān), or “yesterday.” So, it means “the day before yesterday.” This logical structure makes it easy to remember.

While a simple time word, 前天 (qiántiān) reveals a fascinating difference in how time is conceptualized in Chinese versus English. In English, we often think of the past as “behind” us (e.g., “back in the day,” “let's put that behind us”). The future is “ahead” or “in front” of us. In Chinese, the opposite is often true for time words. The past is what has already come, so it is conceptually “in front” (前). The future has not yet arrived, so it is “behind” or “after” (后, hòu). Compare these pairs:

• 前天 (qiántiān): The day before yesterday (past)
• 后天 (hòutiān): The day after tomorrow (future)
• 前年 (qiánnián): The year before last (past)
• 后年 (hòunián): The year after next (future)

This concept of a “forward-facing past” is a key cultural insight. For a learner, understanding that 前 (qián) relates to the past and 后 (hòu) to the future in these contexts is crucial for mastering Chinese time expressions.

前天 (qiántiān) is a high-frequency, everyday word used in all contexts, from casual conversation with friends to formal business meetings. It's considered neutral and is essential for basic communication. As a time word, it typically appears in one of two positions in a sentence: 1. At the very beginning of the sentence: This is the most common placement. `前天我们去看电影了。 (Qiántiān wǒmen qù kàn diànyǐng le.)` 2. After the subject: This is also very common and grammatically correct. `我们前天去看电影了。 (Wǒmen qiántiān qù kàn diànyǐng le.)` It is used to tell stories, schedule appointments, ask about recent activities, and clarify timelines.

• Example 1:
  • 我 前天 到达北京。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ qiántiān dàodá Běijīng.
  • English: I arrived in Beijing the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: A simple, declarative sentence showing the most common usage of 前天 as a time marker at the beginning of the clause.
• Example 2:
  • 前天 的天气怎么样？
  • Pinyin: Qiántiān de tiānqì zěnmeyàng?
  • English: How was the weather the day before yesterday?
  • Analysis: Here, 前天 is followed by 的 (de) to modify the noun “weather” (天气). This structure is used to talk about something *from* that day.
• Example 3:
  • 你是 前天 开始工作的吗？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ shì qiántiān kāishǐ gōngzuò de ma?
  • English: Did you start work the day before yesterday?
  • Analysis: This sentence uses the 是…的 (shì…de) construction to emphasize the time of an action. 前天 fits perfectly within this structure.
• Example 4:
  • 他 前天 晚上给我打了一个电话。
  • Pinyin: Tā qiántiān wǎnshang gěi wǒ dǎ le yí ge diànhuà.
  • English: He gave me a phone call on the evening of the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: This shows how 前天 can be combined with other time words like 晚上 (wǎnshang - evening) to be more specific. Note that you don't need 的 (de) between them.
• Example 5:
  • 这份报告我 前天 就已经完成了。
  • Pinyin: Zhè fèn bàogào wǒ qiántiān jiù yǐjīng wánchéng le.
  • English: I already finished this report the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: The words 就 (jiù) and 已经 (yǐjīng) add emphasis, suggesting the action was completed earlier than expected.
• Example 6:
  • 我们 前天 开会讨论了这个问题。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen qiántiān kāihuì tǎolùn le zhège wèntí.
  • English: We had a meeting and discussed this issue the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: A common example from a work or business context.
• Example 7:
  • 前天 是不是你姐姐的生日？
  • Pinyin: Qiántiān shì bu shì nǐ jiějie de shēngrì?
  • English: Was it your older sister's birthday the day before yesterday?
  • Analysis: Demonstrates how to use 前天 in a “yes/no” question using the “A-not-A” (是不是) format.
• Example 8:
  • 我记得很清楚，那件事是 前天 发生的。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ jìde hěn qīngchu, nà jiàn shì shì qiántiān fāshēng de.
  • English: I remember clearly, that event happened the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: This shows 前天 being used in a secondary clause to clarify the time of an event mentioned previously.
• Example 9:
  • 他从 前天 开始就没来上班。
  • Pinyin: Tā cóng qiántiān kāishǐ jiù méi lái shàngbān.
  • English: He hasn't come to work starting from the day before yesterday.
  • Analysis: The structure 从…开始 (cóng…kāishǐ) means “starting from…” and works perfectly with 前天.
• Example 10:
  • 我 前天 买的苹果不太新鲜。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ qiántiān mǎi de píngguǒ bú tài xīnxiān.
  • English: The apples I bought the day before yesterday aren't very fresh.
  • Analysis: This shows a more complex structure where “我前天买的” (wǒ qiántiān mǎi de) acts as a descriptive clause modifying “apples” (苹果).

• Common Mistake 1: Confusing 前天 (qiántiān) and 昨天 (zuótiān).
  • For absolute beginners, it's easy to mix up “yesterday” and “the day before yesterday.” Just remember 前 (qián) means “before,” so it's the day before yesterday.
  • Incorrect: 我昨天去了，前天没去。 (When you mean you went two days ago).
  • Correct: 我前天去了，昨天没去。 (Wǒ qiántiān qù le, zuótiān méi qù.) - I went the day before yesterday, not yesterday.
• Common Mistake 2: Saying “Two Days Ago” literally.
  • An English speaker might translate “two days ago” directly as “两天前 (liǎng tiān qián).” While grammatically correct, it has a different nuance.
  • 前天 (qiántiān): Refers to the specific calendar day that was two days before today. If today is Friday, 前天 is always Wednesday.
  • 两天前 (liǎng tiān qián): Refers to a point in time roughly 48 hours before the moment of speaking. If it's 9 PM on Friday, 两天前 could mean 9 PM on Wednesday.
  • Rule of thumb: When you mean the specific calendar day, always use 前天.
• Common Mistake 3: Adding an unnecessary 的 (de).
  • When specifying a time of day, you directly combine the words.
  • Incorrect: 前天的上午 (qiántiān de shàngwǔ)
  • Correct: 前天上午 (qiántiān shàngwǔ) - The morning of the day before yesterday.

• 大前天 (dàqiántiān) - Three days ago; the day before the day before yesterday. “Big” 前天.
• 昨天 (zuótiān) - Yesterday. The day immediately before today.
• 今天 (jīntiān) - Today. The current day.
• 明天 (míngtiān) - Tomorrow. The day immediately after today.
• 后天 (hòutiān) - The day after tomorrow.
• 大后天 (dàhòutiān) - Three days from now; the day after the day after tomorrow. “Big” 后天.
• 两天前 (liǎng tiān qián) - Two days ago. Refers to a point in time 48 hours ago, not necessarily the calendar day.
• 上个星期 (shàng ge xīngqī) - Last week. A related past-time concept.
• 前年 (qiánnián) - The year before last. Shows the same 前 = past structure.
• 以前 (yǐqián) - Before; in the past; ago. A more general term for past time.