One of our members sent me this:

"Dear Drew, today I read in a financial letter the headline:

'America is transforming before our eyes.' I always thought 'before' is time

related. Is this nice (correct) English, or are there better formulations? Thanks
for your answer!"

Excellent question! And the answer really shows why it's so important to understand
English like a native so you don't have to hesitate and translate when you speak.

The simple answer is that "before" and "in front of" mean the same thing. They both
refer to being ahead of something else.

Though "before" is often used more when describing time, it can be used for
locations:

The soldier stood before the king.

She placed the book on the alter before the priest.
Please sit before the emperor.

What you might notice from the examples is that "before" is often used when we want
to describe something important or impressive WITH location.

Notice how the same examples sound less formal and important when "in front of" is
used instead. Here, we're really just describing location, and NOT saying anything
about the importance of anyone in the scene:

The soldier stood in front of the king.

She placed the book on the alter in front of the priest.
Please sit in front of the emperor.

Comparing the two sets of examples, the person or thing "in back" becomes the thing
highlighted in a spatial relationship when we use "before." (We're really saying
that the king is important as we describe where someone or something else is,
rather than just describing the location of two people or things.)

See why you stand before a judge in a courtroom, or before a principal at a school,
although you could say you're simply physically in front of them?

This is easiest to understand when you think about a church congregation "coming
before God" while attending a church service. (God isn't physically "in front of"
anyone, as God is really everywhere. But you are showing respect.)

So when you want to describe relative location in a way that makes the scene more
important, grand or respectful, use "before."

You might stand in front of some other customers in line at a bank... But you'd
stand before the bank president.

Makes sense? :)

Like I'm ALWAYS saying...

Your goal is NOT to study and memorize the definitions or translations of words.
It's to connect words with situations.

Natives understand the subtle nuances in vocabulary because they're comparing the
different situations in which they're used.
And when you do the same thing, YOU will say the right thing at the right time,
too!

For HUNDREDS more examples that will automatically train you to express yourself
correctly, continue improving here:

https://englishanyone.com/speak-fluent-english-confidently-in-6-months-ea9/

Fluency really is easier than you think!

Drew
Your English Fluency Guide

Timestamps & Links

0:00:00 Intro
0:01:18 Step 1: Read at the Speed of Speech
0:03:00 Step 2: Analyse
0:04:46 Step 3: Repeat Aloud
0:06:02 Step 4: Recite Aloud with Vivid Imagination
0:07:16 Step 5: Tell the Story to a Child
0:08:18 Step 6: Re-Read at the Speed of Speech
0:08:53 Step 7: Re-Read at the Speed of Speech SILENTLY
0:09:27 Summary of 7 Steps, and additional steps
0:11:27 Phonological Loop: the tape recorder in the head
0:18:37 CI & Extensive Reading
0:20:46 Definitions of Extensive vs. Intensive Reading
0:29:01 Latin Demonstration of the Re-Reading Technique
0:39:17 Ancient Greek Demonstration of the Re-Reading Technique
0:47:56 Romanian Demonstration of the Re-Reading Technique
0:58:43 Portuguese Demonstration of the Re-Reading Technique
1:01:00 Lucian Pronunciation of Ancient Greek
1:07:39 Russian Demonstration of the Re-Reading Technique

flammenschwert.c@gmail.com
espadaflamejante

Espadaflamejante@pple6

Salve Maria

A viagem correu muito bem gracas a Nossa Senhora, o voo chegou um pouco antes das
15hrs como oprevisto.
Muitíssimo obrigado pelo apostoldo, até breve se Deus quiser, reze por nós.

In Ddomina
Gaspar