avant/a.vɑ̃/
preposition / adverb / noun · A1 · Frequency 209
preposition
Meanings
before (in time)
Indicates temporal precedence, commonly used with dates and times.
before (in space), in front of, ahead of
Indicates spatial position, meaning in front of something.
Examples
Avant le départ, vérifiez vos billets.
Before departure, check your tickets.
Elle prend toujours un café avant son cours.
She always has a coffee before her class.
Place-toi avant moi dans la file.
Stand in front of me in the line.
Collocations
- avant midibefore noon
- devant la maisonin front of the house
- avant la portein front of the door
Common mistakes
avant de
avant
The preposition avant is not followed directly by de; learners often make this mistake.
avant que
avant
Avant as a preposition is not used with que; learners often confuse this.
Related words
Grammar note
The preposition avant, when expressing time, is followed by a noun or pronoun indicating a point in time; when expressing space, it is followed by a noun or pronoun indicating a location.
adverb
Meanings
beforehand; earlier
Often used in time expressions, referring to the time before a certain event occurs.
Examples
Je te l'avais déjà expliqué avant.
I had already explained it to you before.
Ils sont arrivés avant et ont choisi une table près de la fenêtre.
They arrived earlier and chose a table near the window.
Appelez avant, afin que je prépare les documents.
Call beforehand so that I can prepare the documents.
Collocations
- avant midibefore noon
Common mistakes
Je vérifierai le document avant que partir.
Je vérifierai le document avant de partir.
When avant is followed by an infinitive, use avant de, not avant que.
Related words
nounmasculine
Meanings
front
Used as a noun to denote the front part or position in space.
Examples
L'avant de la voiture a été endommagé dans l'accident.
The front of the car was damaged in the accident.
Les passagers se sont installés à l'avant du bus.
The passengers sat at the front of the bus.
Malgré les difficultés, l'équipe continue d'aller de l'avant.
Despite the difficulties, the team continues to move forward.
Collocations
- l’avant du navirethe front of the ship
- aller de l’avantto move forward
Common mistakes
l’avant de le navire
l’avant du navire
With the noun avant, de le must contract to du; the uncontracted form de le is not used here.
Related words
antonymarrièreback; rear
nounmasculine
Meanings
front
Used as a noun to denote the front part or position in space.
Examples
Les avants du navire ont été renforcés avant la traversée.
The front sections of the ship were reinforced before the crossing.
Les avants de la voiture ont été endommagés dans l'accident.
The front sections of the car were damaged in the accident.
Les avants de la scène ont été éclairés pour accueillir les artistes.
The front of the stage was lit to welcome the performers.