Lesson 34 · قَبْلَ

Before and after: قَبْلَ and بَعْدَ

قَبْلَ (before) and بَعْدَ (after) work like عِنْدَ: the noun after them ends in -i. قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِ means “before the prayer” and بَعْدَ الدَّرْسِ means “after the lesson”.

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Examples

أَتَوَضَّأُ قَبْلَ الصَّلَاةِatawaḍḍa’u qabla ṣ-ṣalaatiI make wudu before the prayer.

نَشْرَبُ الشَّايَ بَعْدَ الْغَدَاءِnashrabu sh-shaaya baʿda l-ghadaa’iWe drink tea after lunch.

جِئْتُ قَبْلَكَji’tu qablakaI came before you.

اِغْسِلْ يَدَيْكَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَأْكُلَighsil yadayka qabla an ta’kulaWash your hands before you eat.

سَأُسَافِرُ بَعْدَ غَدٍsa-usaafiru baʿda ghadinI will travel the day after tomorrow.

وَصَلْتُ قَبْلَ أُسْبُوعٍwaṣaltu qabla usbuuʿinI arrived a week ago.

Key points

With pronouns: قَبْلَهُ before him · بَعْدَكَ after you · قَبْلَنَا before us.
Before a verb add أَنْ: قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنَامَ (before you sleep), بَعْدَ أَنْ أَكَلْتُ (after I ate).
Useful time phrases: قَبْلَ الظُّهْرِ before noon · بَعْدَ الظُّهْرِ in the afternoon · بَعْدَ غَدٍ the day after tomorrow · قَبْلَ أُسْبُوعٍ a week ago.

Practice

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Say “after the lesson”.

بَعْدَ الدَّرْسِ baʿda d-darsi

Say “before you sleep”.

قَبْلَ أَنْ تَنَامَ qabla an tanaama

Say “I came after him.”

جِئْتُ بَعْدَهُ ji’tu baʿdahu