For time:
* avant: This is the most common and general translation for "before" when referring to time.
* Example: *J'ai mangé avant de partir.* (I ate before leaving.)
* précédent: This means "preceding" or "previous" and can be used for time.
* Example: *Le mois précédent, j'étais en vacances.* (The previous month, I was on vacation.)
For position:
* devant: This translates to "in front of" or "before" in terms of position.
* Example: *La voiture est devant la maison.* (The car is in front of the house.)
* avant: This can also be used for position, meaning "in front of".
* Example: *Elle est assise avant moi.* (She is sitting in front of me.)
For order or preference:
* avant: This is used when referring to something happening or being preferred before something else.
* Example: *Je préfère la soupe avant le plat principal.* (I prefer soup before the main course.)
For comparison:
* avant: This is used when comparing something to something that came before.
* Example: *Avant, j'étais plus jeune.* (Before, I was younger.)
Other translations:
* d'abord: This means "first" or "at first" and can be used when talking about something happening before something else.
* Example: *D'abord, il a fait ses devoirs.* (First, he did his homework.)
* auparavant: This means "previously" or "beforehand" and is used for actions that happened in the past.
* Example: *Auparavant, il n'y avait pas de téléphone portable.* (Previously, there were no cell phones.)
The best translation will depend on the specific context of your sentence.