before

将“before”分解为“be”和“fore”，联想为“站在前面”或“在前面发生”。这样的形象记忆有助于记住单词的含义，即“在……之前”。

before 在前

前缀be-, 强调。fore, 前面的。

before

before: [OE] Before is a Germanic compound, made up of *bi- ‘by’ and *forana ‘from the front’ (the resulting *biforana entered Old English as beforan). The second element, *forana, is a derivative of *fora, source of English for; this originally meant ‘before’, and only gradually developed the senses we are familiar with today.
=> for

before (adv., prep.)

Old English beforan "before, in front of, in the presence of, in former times," from Proto-Germanic *bi- "by" + *forana "from the front," adverbial derivative of *fora (see fore (adv.)). Compare Old Frisian bifara, Old Saxon biforan, Old High German bifora, German bevor. Contrasting before and after in illustrations is from Hogarth (1768). Before the mast in old sailing ships denoting "common sailor," is from the place of their berths, in front of the fore-mast.

1. The Koran recommends fasting as a penance before pilgrimages.

《古兰经》劝告人们在朝圣前斋戒，以作为一种补赎。

2. You have to pay your outstanding bill before joining the scheme.

在参加该项目之前必须结清余账。

3. Wash your hands thoroughly with hot soapy water before handling any food.

在拿吃的之前，用热肥皂水把手好好地洗干净。

4. One month before the deadline we see the hollowness of these promises.

离最后期限只有一个月时，我们认识到了这些许诺都是空头支票。

5. Before the race, he is fine. But afterwards he is worn out.

赛前他状态很好，赛后就筋疲力尽了。

【before, ago】
这组词都有“……以前”的意思，其区别是：
before: 或指从过去某一时间起向前推算的若干时间的以前，通常与过去完成时连用；或泛指以前，并不具体指若干时间以前，可使用现在完成的或过去时；还可指从将来某一时间起的若干时间以前。
ago: 指从现在起往前推算一段时间，始终置于所修饰的词之后，与一般过去时连用。

【in front of, in the front of, before】
这组词都有“在……前”的意思，其区别是：
in front of: 指在某地方之外的前面，即不在其中，多与静态动词连用，通常可与before通用。
in the front of: 指在某地方之内的前面，即在其中的前部分。
before: 指空间位置或时间的“在……前”。表时间时，反义词为after；指空间位置时，其反义词是behind。