何年も前に
nannen mo mae ni
In Japanese, "years ago" is expressed as 何年も前に (nannen mo mae ni).
This phrase is used to refer to a point in time that occurred many years in the past.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 何年も前に is composed of 何年 (how many years), も (a particle emphasizing quantity), 前 (before or ago) and に (a time particle).
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle も is essential in this expression to convey the sense of "many" or "several" when modifying the counter for years. When using the phrase to specify when an action occurred, you use the adverbial form 何年も前に. If you drop the particle に, the phrase becomes the noun phrase 何年も前, which means "many years ago" but lacks the adverbial function of specifying the timing of an action.
How do you pronounce it?
nannen mo mae ni
Did you know?
- The character used for 'ago' in this phrase, 前, is the exact same character used to describe the physical position of being 'in front of' something. In a sense, the Japanese language views the past as being situated 'in front' of the speaker's current position.
- In traditional Japanese storytelling, the phrase 昔々 (mukashimukashi) is used to start a tale. Unlike 何年も前に, which is used for real memories, 昔々 signals that the story takes place in a mythical or timeless era.
- The word 年 (nen) in 何年も前に refers to a calendar year, but Japanese uses different counters for 'years' depending on if they are talking about an age or a duration. This distinction is a fundamental part of Japanese time-keeping.
Examples in context
- そこなら、もう何年も前に行ったよ。I've been there many years ago.This sentence is useful for expressing that you visited a place many years ago using the form 何年も前に.Tatoeba #11069736 by small_snow, translation #11070425 by DJ_Saidez
- 五年前5 years ago
- 何年も前に、ここで働いていました。Nan-nen mo mae ni, koko de hataraite imashita.I worked here many years ago.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are looking at an old photograph.
- 美咲 Misakiこの写真、何年も前に撮ったね。Kono shashin, nannen mo mae ni totta ne.We took this photo years ago, didn't we?
- 蓮 Ren本当だ。すごく懐かしいよ。Hontō da. Sugoku natsukashii yo.You're right. It brings back so many memories.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮くん、ずいぶん若かったね。Ren-kun, zuibun wakakatta ne.You were so young, Ren.
- 蓮 Renあはは、確かにそうだね。Ahaha, tashika ni sō da ne.Haha, that's certainly true.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
