1. happening or existing before the present time or event
發生在現在或當前事件之前的
I met him on the previous day.
我在前一天見過他。
She had no previous experience in teaching.
她之前沒有教學經驗。
The previous owner of the house was an artist.
這棟房子之前的主人是位藝術家。
Previous Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
previous
adjective
快速理解
What does "Previous" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Previous"?
指在時間或順序上發生在目前所指事物之前的。
- 1
時間上較早的
EN: happening or existing before the one mentioned
翻譯: 指在提到的事物之前發生或存在的。
- 2
緊接在前的
EN: immediately before the present one
翻譯: 指緊接在當前這個之前的那一個。
- 3
過早的
EN: coming before the proper or expected time
翻譯: 指在適當或預期時間之前發生的。
小提醒：注意 "previous to" 是較正式的用法，等同於 "before"，例如 "previous to the meeting"。在一般口語中，直接用 "before" 更常見。
發音（How to Pronounce "Previous" in English）
How to pronounce "Previous" in English?"Previous" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Previous" from YouTube Videos
Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Stanford
“for a few months I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me.”
(1 out of 57)
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Previous"?How does "Previous" change by context?
2. immediately before the one mentioned
緊接在所提及的那一個之前的
We moved here the previous year.
我們在前一年搬到了這裡。
He returned to the town he had left the previous week.
他回到了他前一週離開的那個城鎮。
The results were better than in the previous test.
結果比上一次測驗要好。
3. existing or occurring too soon; premature
存在或發生得太早的；過早的
He was a little previous in announcing the victory.
他宣布勝利有點為時過早。
It would be previous to make any assumptions at this stage.
在這個階段做出任何假設都為時過早。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Previous"?How to make natural sentences with "Previous"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| previous + noun | 先前的、之前的（某事物） | The previous owner left the house in good condition. (先前的屋主把房子保持得很好。) |
| previous to + noun/gerund | 在…之前 | Previous to his current job, he worked in finance. (在他目前的工作之前，他從事金融業。) |
| in the previous + time period (day/week/year) | 在過去/上一個（某段時間） | Sales increased significantly in the previous quarter. (銷售額在上一季顯著成長。) |
| on the previous + day/night | 在前一天/前一晚 | We had discussed the plan on the previous night. (我們在前一晚討論過這個計畫。) |
| previous + noun + to + noun | 在（某事物）之前的（某事物） | She showed me the previous version to the current design. (她給我看現行設計之前的版本。) |
用法說明
How is "Previous" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Previous"?
previous to + V-ing vs. previous to + N
- previous to + V-ing 強調在主要事件發生「之前」所進行的「動作或過程」。
- previous to + N 則表示在主要事件發生「之前」的某個「時間點、狀態或具體事物」。
- 在正式或書面語中，
previous to常可與before互換，但previous to語氣更為正式。 - 注意
previous本身是形容詞，因此previous to這個片語整體作為介系詞使用，後面必須接名詞或動名詞。 EN: He had no experience in management previous to taking this job. 翻譯: 在接手這份工作之前，他沒有任何管理經驗。
EN:Previous to the meeting, please review the attached documents.
翻譯:在會議之前，請先審閱附件中的文件。
總結建議
在表示「在…之前」時，若強調動作過程用 previous to + V-ing，若指時間點或事物則用 previous to + N，兩者皆屬正式用法。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Previous" and similar words?How to choose "Previous" vs alternatives?
previous vs prior
「previous」與「prior」皆可表示「之前的」，但「prior」更正式，且常帶有「優先」或「在…之前」的含義，常用於法律或正式文件中。
previous vs former
「previous」通常指時間順序上緊接在前的，而「former」則指兩個提及事物中的第一個，或指過去的身份、狀態。
previous vs last
「previous」指在當前所指時間點之前的，而「last」常指一系列中最近結束的或最終的。
口語用法
How is "Previous" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Previous"?
引述
在對話中，用來引述或提及之前說過的話或事件。 EN: As I mentioned in the previous meeting, we need to adjust the timeline. 翻譯: 就像我在之前的會議中提到的，我們需要調整時間表。
EN:Yeah, but that's not what you said the previous time.
翻譯:對啊，但你上次可不是這麼說的。
語氣強調
用來強調「就在那之前」或「緊接著的前一個」的順序感。 EN: I liked her previous boyfriend much better. 翻譯: 我比較喜歡她之前的那個男朋友。
EN:The previous attempt failed, so let's try a completely different approach.
翻譯:上一次的嘗試失敗了，所以我們來試試完全不同的方法吧。
停頓填充
在思考或組織語句時，用來填充停頓，表示正在回想。 EN: So, the previous... um... version of the app had that feature. 翻譯: 所以，之前那個…嗯…的應用程式版本是有那個功能的。
EN:We need to go back to the previous... what was it called... the original plan.
翻譯:我們得回到之前那個…叫什麼來著…最初的計畫。
注意：在正式寫作中，應避免使用帶有停頓或思考痕跡的填充用法（如第三類例子），並確保「previous」所指的時間或事件前後文清晰明確。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Previous"?What fixed phrases with "Previous" should I remember?
previous year
previous + [time period]
前一年
previous experience
previous + [noun]
先前的經驗
previous owner
previous + [noun]
前一位擁有者
previous night
previous + [time period]
前一晚
previous version
previous + [noun]
先前的版本
previous relationship
previous + [noun]
過往的關係
previous generation
previous + [noun]
上一代
previous convictions
previous + [plural noun]
前科
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Previous"?Which "Previous" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I read the chapter previous.
✓I read the previous chapter.
在英文中，形容詞 "previous" 通常放在名詞之前修飾，而非之後。中文的「前一章」語序會讓學習者誤用為 "chapter previous"。
×My previous job was in 2020. (If you have had no job since 2020)
✓My last job was in 2020.
"Previous" 通常暗示在當前或提及的時間點之前，但時間序列仍在繼續。如果某事物是截至目前為止的最後一個，且之後沒有同類事物，應使用 "last"。"Previous" 帶有「緊接在當前/指定時間點之前的那一個」的含義。
×I met him on previous Monday.
✓I met him the previous Monday. / I met him last Monday.
當 "previous" 用於指「上一個」星期幾或類似時間單位時，前面通常需要定冠詞 "the"，構成 "the previous Monday"。或者，更口語化地直接使用 "last Monday"。單獨使用 "previous" 前面缺少限定詞是常見錯誤。
×The previous of this book is better.
✓The previous one of this book is better. / The previous book (in the series) is better.
"Previous" 主要用作形容詞。雖然在正式或技術文本中可作為名詞（如 "the previous"），但在日常英語中，當需要名詞性指代時，通常會說 "the previous one" 或補上明確的名詞（如 "book", "chapter"），而非單獨使用 "the previous"。
×I saw him two days previous.
✓I saw him two days ago. / I had seen him two days previously.
表示「在…之前」的時間副詞是 "previously"，而非形容詞 "previous"。若要表達「幾天前」，應使用 "... ago"。"Previous" 是形容詞，不能直接修飾時間量詞來作副詞用。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Previous"?What are tense/participle forms of "Previous"?