Meaning
「〜以前」 expresses "the stage before reaching a certain state," implying that the matter being discussed is not even the real issue — there is a more fundamental problem that needs to be addressed first. It is commonly used in critical or rebuttal contexts.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| な-adjective（である） | 以前 |
| Noun（である） | 以前 |
Examples
-
遅刻してくるなんて仕事以前の問題ですよ。
Coming in late is a problem that precedes the issue of work itself. -
A：さいきん、健康と美容にいいから、サプリをいろいろ飲み始めたんだ。
A: I've been taking various supplements lately because they're good for health and beauty.
B：いや、それ以前にまず、毎日お酒を飲むのをやめた方がいいと思うけど。
B: Well, before that, I think you should stop drinking alcohol every day first. -
A：商品を売るためには、もっと宣伝にお金をかけないと！
A: To sell our products, we need to spend more on advertising!
B：いや、それ以前の問題でしょう。商品の質をもっとよくしないと。
B: No, that's a problem that comes before advertising. We need to improve product quality first.
Summary
- 「〜以前」 indicates a more fundamental stage before reaching a certain state, used for criticism or rebuttal
- Attaches to な-adjectives（である） or nouns（である）
- Common collocations: 「〜以前の問題」「それ以前に」