Before i knew it meaning in English
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Definition
before I knew it, (I was asleep): (I fell asleep) before I realised it, without being aware of it
(We'll be in Thailand) before you know it!: (We will arrive in Thailand) very soon, without having to wait much longer!
Exercise 1
Fill in the blanks in this dialogue with one of the terms first, before and then. Each term is only used once!
Last night, after work, I was exhausted. I arrived home, immediately collapsed onto the sofa. I knew it, I was asleep! Thankfully, I had remembered to close the door .
Last night, after work, I was exhausted. I arrived home, immediately collapsed onto the sofa. I knew it, I was asleep! Thankfully, I had remembered to close the door .
Fill in the blanks in this dialogue with one of the terms first, before and then. Each term is only used once!
Last night, after work, I was exhausted. I arrived home, then 1 immediately collapsed onto the sofa. before 2 I knew it, I was asleep! Thankfully, I had remembered to close the door first 3.
Last night, after work, I was exhausted. I arrived home, then 1 immediately collapsed onto the sofa. before 2 I knew it, I was asleep! Thankfully, I had remembered to close the door first 3.
1 then: "Then" introduces an action which happened subsequently or after another action. Another example: "Bruno entered his office, then quickly closed the door". Note that we do not need to repeat the subject of the verb(s) when we use "then".
2 before: If something happens "before I knew it", it happens before the speaker realises it is happening. This is a common English idiom. Another example: "I thought I would be young and single forever, but before I knew it, I was married with four children!".
3 first: "First" in this context has the same meaning as "beforehand". The speaker is saying that they remembered to close the door before falling asleep on the sofa. Another example: "You can go to the party, but you have to tidy your room first" (before going to the party).
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