How 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 | Prior to an action or point in time | N5 |
| てから tekara | Once something has been done; the time elapsed since an action | N5 |
前に・まえに ni maeni
Prior to an action or point in time
前に means that one action or event happens before another. It attaches to the plain form of a verb (来る前に) or to a noun (十分前, 夜の前), expressing 'before doing' or 'before a time'. It works in both casual and polite speech.
-
来る前になぜ電話をかけてくれなかったの。
Why didn't you phone before coming?
-
さてと・・・見つかる前にずらかるか。
Well now… Shall we scarper before we're found?
てから tekara
Once something has been done; the time elapsed since an action
てから connects the te-form of a verb to a following clause or phrase, meaning that the second event happens after the first, or that a period of time has passed since the first event. It is commonly used with time expressions like 〜年になる to state how long it has been since something happened.
-
父が亡くなってから３年になります。
My father has been dead for three years.
-
彼らは日本に来てから５年になる。
Five years have passed since they came to Japan.
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 on meanings, usage and example sentences, so you can tell them apart.