Korean Time Markers: Using jeon ('ago') and jinan ('last') for Past Events
Learn to place past events in time in Korean with jeon (전, 'ago') and jinan (지난, 'last'), moving beyond eoje ('yesterday') to express when things happened.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In Korean, saying when something happened often uses two handy markers: jeon (전), meaning 'ago' or 'before,' and jinan (지난), meaning 'last' or 'past.' These let you move beyond eoje (어제, 'yesterday') and talk about events from days, weeks, months, or years ago. This lesson teaches you to attach these markers correctly to time words and use them in natural sentences. You will learn the patterns i il jeon (이 일 전, 'two days ago') and jinan ju (지난 주, 'last week'), and how to combine them with past tense verbs like bwatda (봤다, 'saw'). By the end, you will be able to say when you did something without relying only on 'yesterday.'
By the end, you can…
- say when a past event happened using jeon (전) with time words like il (일, 'day') and ju (주, 'week').
- use jinan (지난) before time nouns to mean 'last' (e.g., jinan dal, 지난 달, 'last month').
- form simple past tense sentences with these time markers, such as 'I saw her two days ago.'
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
이틀 전에 봤어요.
I saw (it/him/her) two days ago.
iteul jeon-e bwasseoyo
Use jeon after a time amount; e is a particle meaning 'at/in'. iteul (이틀) is the native Korean word for 'two days'. bwasseoyo is polite past tense of boda (to see).
지난 주에 갔어요.
I went last week.
jinan ju-e gasseoyo
jinan comes before the time noun ju (week). gasseoyo is polite past of gada (to go).
한 달 전에 만났어요.
I met (someone) a month ago.
han dal jeon-e mannasseoyo
han dal means 'one month'; jeon-e marks 'ago'. mannasseoyo is polite past of mannada (to meet).
지난달에 여행했어요.
I traveled last month.
jinan-dar-e yeohaenghaesseoyo
jinan-dal is 'last month' (written as one word, 지난달). yeohaenghaesseoyo is polite past of yeohaenghada (to travel).
삼 년 전에 한국에 왔어요.
I came to Korea three years ago.
sam nyeon jeon-e hanguk-e wasseoyo
sam nyeon means 'three years'; jeon-e marks 'ago'. wasseoyo is polite past of oda (to come).
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Put a time amount before 전 to express ago, then use a suitable verb form. 이틀 전에 봤어요 means I saw someone or something two days ago. The day word 이틀 already means two days. Korean has day words such as 하루, 이틀 and 사흘; Sino-Korean counts with 일 are also possible, so 삼 일 전 and 사흘 전 can both mean three days ago. Do not apply one number-system rule to every unit. 달 takes native numbers in 한 달 (one month); 년 takes Sino-Korean numbers in 삼 년 (three years), and 삼 주 means three weeks. 지난 comes before the relevant time noun to express last, as in 지난달에 여행했어요 (I traveled last month).
When to use it
Use 전 with a time amount when counting back from the reference time. Use 지난 with a time unit when referring to last week, last month or last year. 어제 already means yesterday; use it directly rather than adding 전 to mean yesterday ago. 그저께 is the dedicated word for the day before yesterday, while 이틀 전에 can describe the equivalent two-days-ago timing. The particle 에 is used in the recorded models; subjects and objects may be omitted when the context supplies them.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
지난 주에 뭐 했어요?
What did you do last week?jinan ju-e mwo haesseoyo?지난 주에 친구를 만났어요.
I met a friend last week.jinan ju-e chingu-reul mannasseoyo.아, 그래요? 저는 이틀 전에 그 친구를 봤어요.
Oh, really? I saw that friend two days ago.a, geuraeyo? jeoneun iteul jeon-e geu chingu-reul bwasseoyo.정말요? 저도 삼 년 전에 그 친구를 만났어요.
Really? I also met that friend three years ago.jeongmalyo? jeodo sam nyeon jeon-e geu chingu-reul mannasseoyo.A little context goes a long way
The recorded sentences use polite everyday past-tense endings. Other levels of politeness use different verb endings. In writing, forms such as 지난달 and 지난주 are commonly written together; the retained recordings and their timing meanings stay the same. Omitted subjects and objects are supplied by context.
One thing to watch for
Using eoje (어제) together with jeon, as in '어제 전에 봤어요' to mean 'I saw yesterday ago.'
Try this instead: Do not combine eoje with jeon. Say eoje bwasseoyo (어제 봤어요) for 'I saw yesterday,' or iteul jeon-e bwasseoyo (이틀 전에 봤어요) for 'I saw two days ago.' Each time marker stands on its own.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'I went last week' in polite Korean?
Show a sample answer
지난 주에 갔어요. (jinan ju-e gasseoyo.)
jinan ju means 'last week'; add e and the past tense gasseoyo. You could also say jinan ju-e gasseumnida (지난 주에 갔습니다) in formal polite style.
2Translate: 'I met (someone) a month ago.'
Show a sample answer
한 달 전에 만났어요. (han dal jeon-e mannasseoyo.)
한 달 uses the native-number form 한 with the month counter 달. 전 marks ago, and 만났어요 is the polite past of 만나다. The recorded model is 한 달 전에 만났어요; the number choice depends on the time unit, rather than a rule that every month expression uses Sino-Korean numbers.
3Which is correct for 'I saw her three days ago': '사흘 전에 봤어요' or '지난 사흘에 봤어요'?
Show a sample answer
사흘 전에 봤어요. (saheul jeon-e bwasseoyo.)
사흘 전에 봤어요 uses the three-day word 사흘 plus 전에 to locate the event three days ago. 삼 일 전에 봤어요 is also a valid day-count alternative. 지난 사흘 describes the past three days as a period and does not supply the intended three-days-ago timing in this exercise.
Use jeon (전) after a time amount to mean 'ago' (iteul jeon-e, 이틀 전에), and jinan (지난) before a time noun to mean 'last' (jinan ju, 지난 주). Keep eoje (어제) separate, and match your verb to polite past tense.
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