Compound Forms:
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| accessory before the fact n | (law: assist before crime) | cómplice de un delito loc nom mf |
| | | instigador de un delito, instigadora de un delito loc nm, loc nf |
BCE,
B.C.E. adv | initialism (Before the Common Era) (abreviatura: antes de la Era Común) | a. E. C., a. e. c expr |
| | Julius Caesar was born in the year 100 BCE. |
| before an audience adv | (in front of people) | en público loc adv |
| | | ante un público, ante el público loc adv |
| | I hate speaking before an audience; I get stage fright and stammer over my words. |
| | Detesto hablar en público; me da pánico escénico y tartamudeo. |
| before its time adv | (prematurely) | prematuramente adv |
| | | antes de tiempo loc adv |
| | The baby was born before its time. |
| | El bebé nació prematuramente. |
| before its time adv | (precociously) | antes de tiempo loc adv |
| | | precozmente adv |
| | | de forma precoz loc adv |
| | Parents should not try to force a child to walk before its time. |
| | Los padres no deben estimular a los niños a caminar antes de tiempo. |
| before long adv | (soon) | en breve adv |
| | | pronto adv |
| | | no muy tarde, a no mucho tardar loc adv |
| | Spring should be coming before long. |
| | La primavera debería venir en breve. |
| before noon adv | (in advance of midday) | antes del mediodía loc adv |
| | I'll take my walk before noon so I'll be home in time for lunch. |
| | I hope you can arrive before noon. |
| | Saldré a caminar antes del mediodía, así puedo estar de vuelta en casa para el almuerzo. |
| before now adv | (previously) | anteriormente adv |
| | | antes de hoy loc adv |
| | Before now, I had never really been in love! |
| | ¡Antes de hoy, nunca había estado realmente enamorada! |
| before tax adv | (before tax is paid) | sin incluir impuestos loc prep |
| before that adv | (prior to a given occasion) | antes de eso loc adv |
| | I started wearing glasses a couple of years ago; before that I wore contact lenses for 40 years. |
| | Empecé a usar lentes hace un par de años; antes de eso usé lentes de contacto durante 40 años. |
| Before the Common Era expr | (Before Christ: non-Christian equivalent) | antes de la Era Común expr |
| before the court adv | (in front of a tribunal) | ante el juez loc adv |
| | I'm going to testify before the court on Wednesday. |
| | | ante el tribunal loc adv |
| before the fact adv | (beforehand) | de antemano loc adv |
| | By acting before the fact, a company can save time and money by anticipating problems. |
| | Actuando de antemano, una empresa puede ahorrar tiempo y dinero anticipando problemas. |
| before the Flood adv | figurative (long ago) (ES) | del tiempo de Maricastaña loc adj |
| | | hace siglos loc adv |
| | (MX) | año del caldo nm |
| | (figurado) | antes del diluvio loc adv |
| | (figurado) | en la prehistoria loc adv |
| | (ES, coloquial) | en el año de la pera loc adv |
| before the judge adv | (in court) | ante el juez loc adv |
| before the judge adv | (in front of a magistrate) | ante el juez loc adv |
| before you know it expr | informal (rapidly, soon) | antes de que uno se dé cuenta expr |
| | Christmas will be here before you know it. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. El tiempo pasa rápido y antes de que uno se dé cuenta llegan las vacaciones. |
before your eyes,
right before your eyes,
before your very eyes adv | (right in front of you) | ante sus ojos loc adv |
| | His father was murdered right before his eyes. |
| | Asesinaron a su padre ante sus ojos. |
| before your time adv | informal (before your birth) | antes de que nacieras loc adv |
| | I remember the day President Kennedy was shot - but that's before your time. |
| | Recuerdo cuando mataron al presidente Kennedy, fue antes de que nacieras. |
| before your time adv | informal (before your involvement) | antes de que llegaras loc adv |
| | | antes de que estuvieras loc adv |
| | He used to be Managing Director here, but that was a few years before your time. |
| | Él era Director aquí, pero es fue un año antes de que llegaras. |
| before-tax adj | (profits, etc.: before tax is paid) | sin incluir impuestos loc prep |
| | | sin impuestos loc prep |
| best before [sth] adj + prep | (food: fresh until a specified date) | consumir preferentemente antes de, consumir antes de expr |
| | Milk is best before the expiration date. |
| | La leche debe consumirse preferentemente antes de la fecha de vencimiento. |
| best before expr | (warning on food packaging) | consumir preferentemente antes de expr |
| | | consumir antes de expr |
| | The label on the tin says, "Best before 09.09.2018". |
| | La etiqueta dice "Consumir preferentemente antes del 09/09/2018". |
| best-before date n | (expiration) | fecha de consumo preferente nf + loc adj |
| | | fecha de caducidad nf + loc adj |
Blood is thicker than water,
Blood before water expr | figurative (family relationships are strongest) | La familia es lo primero expr |
| | | La sangre tira, La sangre llama expr |
| | Neil will always support his brother's position on this matter because blood is thicker than water. |
| | Neil siempre va a apoyar la postura de su hermano en cuanto a este asunto porque la familia es lo primero. |
| calm before the storm n | figurative (quiet period before [sth] turbulent) | la calma antes de la tormenta loc nom f |
| | | la calma antes de la tempestad loc nom f |
| | Mary's much too quiet. I fear it's the calm before the storm. |
| | Mary está demasiado callada: me temo que esto es la calma antes de la tormenta. |
cast pearls before swine,
cast your pearls before swine v expr | figurative (squander [sth] on [sb] who does not value it) | dar margaritas a los cerdos expr |
| come before [sth] vi + prep | (precede) | venir antes de loc verb |
| | | preceder⇒ vtr |
| | The number 2 comes before 3, and 4 comes before 5. |
| | El número 2 viene antes del 3 y el 4 viene antes del 5. |
| come before [sth] vi + prep | figurative (be more important than) | venir antes que, ir antes que loc verb |
| | | tener precedencia, tener prioridad loc verb |
| | The welfare of my family comes before anything else. |
| | El bienestar de mi familia viene (or: va) antes que cualquier otra cosa. |
count your chickens,
count your chickens before they are hatched expr | figurative (rely on [sth] prematurely) | cantar victoria expr |
| | | vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo expr |
| | | hacer como la lechera del cuento |
| Note: Often used with a negative, as a caution: "Don't count your chickens before they are hatched". |
dangle [sth] in front of [sb],
dangle [sth] before [sb] vtr + prep | figurative, informal (offer as incentive) | ofrecerle algo a alguien como incentivo loc verb |
| | | incentivar a alguien con algo loc verb |
| | Dangle a raise in front of him and see what happens. |
| | The boss dangled extra overtime pay before the employees for working on the holiday. |
| | Ofrécele un aumento como incentivo y verás qué pasa. |
| day before n | (previous day) (víspera) | día anterior nm + adj |
| | | día antes nm + adv |
| ever before adv | (at any point previously) | nunca antes loc adv |
| | Women are choosing to stay single more than ever before. |
| | Como nunca antes, muchas mujeres prefieren hoy permanecer solteras. |
| go before [sth/sb] vi + prep | (precede) | ir delante de loc verb |
| | The travel guides go before the tourist group. |
| | Los guías de viaje van delante del grupo de turistas. |
| go before vi + adv | (exist or happen previously) | preceder⇒ vtr |
| | This discovery eclipses everything that has gone before. |
| | Este descubrimiento eclipsa a todo lo que lo precedió. |
| go before the bar v expr | (appear in court) | comparecer para ser juzgado loc verb |
| | The prosecutor in the Smith case will go before the bar on ethics charges. |
| | El popular cantante está acusado de secuestro y deberá comparecer para ser juzgado la próxima semana. |
| | | presentarse a juicio loc verb |
| | (para ser juzgado) | comparecer ante el juez, comparecer ante la corte, ser llevado a juicio loc verb |
| | | responder ante la justicia loc verb |
| | Mi abuelo juez solía aterrorizar a los abogados jóvenes que se presentaban a juicio ante él. |
| | El fiscal del caso comparecerá ante el juez acusado de delitos contra la ética profesional. |
| | El fiscal del caso responderá ante la justicia por faltar a la ética profesional. |
| just before prep | (a moment prior to) | justo antes de loc adv |
| | I like to have a hot bath just before I go to bed. |
| | Me gusta tomar un baño caliente justo antes de ir a dormir. |
| look before you leap interj | figurative (be aware of the risks involved in [sth]) (figurado) | mirar antes de cruzar expr |
| | Thinking of investing in a new business? Look before you leap! |
| | ¿Pensando en invertir en un nuevo negocio? ¡Mire antes de cruzar! |
| | | ser precavido expr |
| | ¿Pensando en invertir en un nuevo negocio? ¡Sea precavido! |
| old before your time adj | (seeming older than actual age) | envejecido antes de tiempo loc adj |
| once before adv | (on one previous occasion) | en una ocasión anterior loc adv |
| | En una ocasión anterior esto ya había pasado, pero la situación no era tan grave como ahora. |
| Pride comes before a fall expr | (it is unwise to be arrogant) | el orgullo precede a la caída expr |
| Profit Before Tax n | (amount made prior to paying taxes) | beneficio bruto loc nom m |
| | | beneficios antes de impuestos loc nom mpl |
| | | ganancias antes de impuestos loc nom fpl |
| put [sth/sb] before [sth/sb] vtr + prep | (prioritize more highly than) | poner algo antes de, poner algo delante de loc verb |
| | I will always put my children's welfare before my own desires. |
| put the cart before the horse v expr | figurative (act prematurely) | poner el carro delante de los caballos loc verb |
| | | vender la leche antes de ordeñar la vaca loc verb |
| | | empezar la casa por el tejado, comenzar la casa por el tejado loc verb |
| | (CL, CR, CU, UY) | poner la carreta delante de los bueyes loc verb |
| | Sara insisted that having sex before marriage was like putting the cart before the horse. |
| | Sara insistía en que tener sexo antes de casarse era como poner el carro delante de los caballos. |
| right before prep | (just prior to) | justo antes de loc adv |
| | I'll see you right before the big meeting. |
| | Te veo justo antes de la gran reunión. |
| set [sth] before [sb] vtr + prep | (place in front of) | colocar enfrente de, colocar delante de loc verb |
| | | poner enfrente de, poner delante de loc verb |
| Note: Often used in the passive. |
| | At about 3 months, a baby begins to focus its eyes on objects set before him. |
| | He set the plate of cookies before his mother. |
| | Hacia los tres meses los bebés empiezan a fijar la mirada en los objetos colocados delante de ellos. |
| shortly before adv | (just before) | poco antes de loc adv |
| | | justo antes de loc adv |
| the day before n | (a day earlier, the previous day) | la víspera nf |
| | | día anterior nm + adj |
| the day before adv | (a day earlier, on the previous day) | el día anterior, el día antes loc adv |
| | | el día de antes loc adv |
| | | un día antes loc adv |
| | Recordámelo el día antes, si no, seguro que me olvido. |
| | Recuérdamelo el día de antes, si no, seguro que me olvido. |
| the day before yesterday n | (two days ago) | anteayer adv |
| | | antes de ayer loc adv |
| | The day before yesterday was my birthday. |
| the day before yesterday adv | (two days ago) | antes de ayer loc adv |
| | I haven't seen him since the day before yesterday. |
| | No le he visto desde antes de ayer. |
| | | anteayer adv |
| | (anticuado, coloquial) | antier adv |
| the night before n | (previous night or evening) | la noche anterior grupo nom |
| | | anoche nf |
| | | ayer por la tarde, ayer por la noche loc adv |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. La noche anterior había sido la peor de todas, de ahí en más las cosas mejoraron. |
| the night before adv | (on the previous night or evening) | la noche anterior loc adv |
| | | anoche adv |
| | | ayer por la tarde, ayer por la noche loc adv |
| | | en la noche anterior, durante la noche anterior loc adv |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Nos habíamos conocido la noche anterior y nos habíamos hecho amigos. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Nos conocimos anoche y nos hicimos amigos. |
| the week before n | (the previous week) | la semana pasada loc nom f |
| the week before last n | (the week prior to last week) | la semana anterior a la última, la semana anterior a la que pasó nf + loc adj |
| the week before last adv | (in the week prior to last week) | dos semanas atrás loc adv |
| | | hace dos semanas loc adv |
| | | la semana antepasada nf + adj |
| | El concierto fue la semana antepasada. |
think twice about doing [sth],
think twice before doing [sth],
think twice before you do [sth] v expr | (reconsider prior to doing [sth]) | pensar bien antes de hacer algo loc verb |
| | | pensar dos veces antes de hacer algo loc verb |
| | You should think twice about giving up a steady job to start a PhD. |
| | I'd advise you to think twice before you accept this man's proposal; you've only just met him! |
| two days before prep | (two days prior to) | dos días antes de loc adv |
| | Unfortunately, the hurricane struck two days before their wedding. |
| | Por desgracia, el huracán se desató justo dos días antes de la boda. |
| two days before adv | (two days earlier) | dos días antes loc adv |
| | I was waiting for her when she arrived, having got there two days before. |
| | Yo la estaba esperando cuando llegó porque había llegado dos días antes. |