Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
前に attaches to a dictionary-form verb or noun and marks an event that happens before another event, while てから attaches to the て-form and marks an event that happens after completing another. The key is direction: 前に is about what comes next, てから is about what just finished. Swapping them reverses the timeline, so 日本へ行く前に勉強する means study before going, while 日本へ行ってから勉強する means study after arriving.
- 前に・まえに Use 前に when the action in the attached clause happens before the main action.
- てから Use てから when the main action happens after the attached action is completed.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| 前に・まえに ni maeni | Before | N5 |
| てから tekara | After doing | N5 |
前に・まえに ni maeni
Before
Before; in front of | In front of or before some situation comes about.
-
ジャクソンさんは日本へ行く前に日本語を勉強した・しました。
Mr. Jackson studied Japanese before he went to Japan.
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テイラーさんは日本へ行く前にハワイに寄りました。
Mr. Taylor stopped in Hawaii before he went to Japan.
てから tekara
After doing
After; having done something; since (time) | After/since a point in time at which something takes place.
-
ジョーンズさんはいつもシャワーを浴びてから寝ます。
Mr. Jones always goes to bed after taking a shower.
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二年前に交通事故を起こしてから、ミラーさんは車に乗らないようにしています。
Since he caused a traffic accident two years ago, Mr. Miller has been trying not to drive a car.
前に・まえに and てから are both JLPT N5 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.