daai6 cin4 nin2大前年
Jyutpingdaai6 cin4 nin2
Yaledaaih chìhn nín
Definition
Three years ago; the year before last year.
colloquialtime
How it's used
Counting backwards from the current year, this term specifically identifies the year preceding the year before last. It functions as a temporal noun and does not require a preposition like 喺 when used to indicate when an action occurred. It is a precise way to avoid long phrases like 三年之前.
Examples
I went to Japan for a trip three years ago.
Were you working here three years ago?
Related words
Common phrases
something that happened three years ago
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- LocationHow to say where something is using 喺 (hai2), place words like 度, and the common coverbs that work like English prepositions.
- Serial verbsStringing two or more verbs together without any joining word, like go to the shop buy things. Extremely common in Cantonese.
- 將 disposalHow to move the object in front of the verb with 將, to focus on what happens to it. Common in instructions and writing.
