二週間前
nishūkan mae
The English phrase "two weeks ago" is translated into Japanese as 二週間前 (nishūkan mae).
二週間前 is used to refer to a point in time fourteen days before the present moment.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 二 (two), 週間 (weeks) and 前 (before/ago).
How does it change in a sentence?
The counter 週間 (shūkan) is used for durations of weeks, and it is placed before the word 前 (mae) to indicate how long ago an event occurred.
How do you pronounce it?
nishūkan mae
Did you know?
- If you want to say 'the week before last', you would say 先々週 (sensenshū), which uses the doubling of the character for 'previous' to push the timeframe back even further.
- In Japanese, the word 前 (mae) can mean 'before', 'ago', or even 'in front of' depending on the context. When placed after a time duration like 二週間 (nishūkan), it functions as 'ago', but it can also refer to physical position.
- While 二週間前 is the standard way to say 'two weeks ago', Japanese speakers often use the word 先日 (senjitsu) to refer to any vague point in the recent past, including two weeks ago, to sound more polite.
Examples in context
- 二週間前に、新しい靴を買いました。Ni-shūkan mae ni, atarashii kutsu o kaimashita.I bought new shoes two weeks ago.
- 二週間前は、とても暑かったですね。Ni-shūkan mae wa, totemo atsukatta desu ne.It was very hot two weeks ago, wasn't it?
- 二週間前に、あの映画を見ました。Ni-shūkan mae ni, ano eiga o mimashita.I saw that movie two weeks ago.
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are talking about a recent trip.
- 蓮 Ren二週間前に、京都へ行きました。Ni-shūkan mae ni, Kyōto e ikimashita.I went to Kyoto two weeks ago.
- 陽葵 Himari楽しかったですか？Tanoshikatta desu ka?Was it fun?
- 蓮 Renはい、とても楽しかったです。Hai, totemo tanoshikatta desu.Yes, it was a lot of fun.
- 陽葵 Himari私も行きたいです。Watashi mo ikitai desu.I want to go too.
