先前 → ☊ 
trước đây 
former 
ehemalig like: trước đây → →
two decades ago ☊ 
từ trước đây hai thập niên ☊ He stopped working some time ago (= quite a long time ago). ☊ ago ☊
balance sth (out): This year's profits will balance our previous losses. ☊ balance ☊
They want to beat the speed record (= go faster than anyone before). ☊ beat ☊
You should have told me so before. ☊ before ☊
I think we've met before. ☊ before ☊
I was surprised to hear them mentioned together: I had never connected them before. ☊ connect ☊
I've seen her a couple of times before. ☊ couple ☊
I had never encountered such resistance before. ☊ encounter ☊
It happened almost exactly a year ago. ☊ exactly ☊
Do you have any previous experience of this type of work? ☊ experience ☊
The system was installed four years ago as an experiment. ☊ experiment ☊
The two have never met face to face before. ☊ face to face (with sb) ☊
There are far more opportunities for young people than there used to be. ☊ far ☊
He's never done this type of work before; I'm not sure how he'll fit in with the other people. ☊ fit in (with sb/sth) ☊
I was forgetting (= I had forgotten) (that) you've been here before. ☊ forget ☊
in former times ☊ former ☊
The former option would be much more sensible. ☊ former ☊
Namibia, formerly known as South West Africa ☊ formerly ☊
John Marsh, formerly of London Road, Leicester, now living in France ☊ formerly ☊
Thanks to the automobile, Americans soon had a freedom of movement previously unknown. ☊ freedom ☊
The country gained its independence ten years ago. ☊ gain ☊
my immediate predecessor in the job (= the person who had the job just before me) ☊ immediate ☊
This is a great improvement on your previous work. ☊ improvement ☊
Do you two know each other (= have you met before)? ☊ know ☊
Do you know the play (= have you seen or read it before)? ☊ know ☊
Some drugs are being used on a much larger scale than previously. ☊ large ☊
Like I said (= as I said before), you're always welcome to stay. ☊ like ☊
I eat lots less than I used to. ☊ lot ☊
I hadn't been to New York before and neither had Jane. ☊ neither ☊
It's news to me (= I haven't heard it before). ☊ news ☊
'He's been married before.' 'That's beside the point ' (= not important). ☊ point ☊
The car has only had one previous owner. ☊ previous ☊
I was unable to attend because of a previous engagement. ☊ previous ☊
The book contains a number of photographs not previously published. ☊ previously ☊
Previous teaching experience is a necessary qualification for this job. ☊ qualification ☊
recall (sb/sth) doing sth: I can't recall meeting her before. ☊ recall ☊
The findings are similar to those reported in previous studies. ☊ report ☊
We hope to restore the garden to its former glory (= make it as beautiful as it used to be). ☊ restore ☊
ride sth: She had never ridden a horse before. ☊ ride ☊
right (in doing sth): Am I right in thinking we've met before? ☊ right ☊
Her life had always run smoothly before. ☊ run ☊
If it had been left to me I would have put him out on the street long ago. ☊ (out) on the streets/street ☊
You were supposed to be here an hour ago! ☊ be supposed to do/be sth ☊
swear (that)...: She swore (that) she'd never seen him before. ☊ swear ☊
He's a lawyer turned politician (= he used to be a lawyer but is now a politician). ☊ turn ☊
a species of insect previously unknown to science ☊ unknown ☊
a week ago today (= seven days ago) ☊ week ☊
Isobel, whose brother he was, had heard the joke before. ☊ whose ☊
The increase in taxes means that we'll be £30 a month worse off than before. ☊ be worse off (than sb/sth) ☊
'I've never met her before.' 'Yes, you have.' ☊ yes ☊