The Difference Between Before and Ago

The English language is full of nuances. One of the more subtle differences that can be tricky to understand is the difference between before and ago. Before and ago are both used to talk about the past, but they are used in different ways. In this article, we will explore the differences between before and ago and how to use them correctly.

Before vs. Ago

Before and ago are both adverbs of time. Before is used to refer to something that will happen in the future relative to the time being discussed. Ago is used to refer to something that happened in the past relative to the time being discussed.

Before

Before is used when we are speaking of a future event. It is used to describe a time before something else is going to happen. For example, if you are meeting someone at 4:00pm, you would say “I will meet you before 4:00pm”. This means that the meeting will happen sometime before 4:00pm.