Meaning of 前年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- the year before last
How to use 前年
前年 is a time word that usually goes before the verb or at the start of the sentence. It fits in the sequence 前年, 去年, 今年, 明年. Example: 我前年去过北京。(Wǒ qiánnián qùguo Běijīng.) I went to Beijing the year before last.
前 (qián) means "before" or "in front," and 年 (nián) means "year." Think of it like 前天 (qiántiān), the day before yesterday, but with years: two years back.
Common mistake: Many learners use 前年 to mean "last year" because 前 sounds like "previous." Last year is 去年 (qùnián), and 前年 is two years ago.
前年 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
前 qián · front · 9 strokes
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年 nián · year · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 前年.
Questions about 前年
What does 前年 mean?
前年 (qiánnián) means "the year before last" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 前年?
前年 is made of 2 characters: 前 (9 strokes), 年 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 前年 an HSK word?
Yes. 前年 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the word for the year after next?
It is 后年 (hòunián). It mirrors 前年, just as 后天 (hòutiān) mirrors 前天.
Is 前年 the same as 两年前?
They often point to the same time, but 前年 names the calendar year before last. 两年前 (liǎng nián qián) means "two years ago" counted from now, so it can be less exact about the calendar year.