vorher

Vorher is a German adverb meaning beforehand or previously. It is used to indicate that an action or state occurred earlier than another reference point, such as another event in time or the moment at hand.

Usage and examples

Common sentences include: Ich habe ihn vorher angerufen (I called him beforehand). Vorher hatten wir darüber gesprochen (Earlier we had talked about it). In subordinate clauses you can also use vorher to refer to an action that should occur before another: Bevor wir losziehen, müssen wir vorher noch etwas erledigen.

Relation to related terms

Vorher is often compared with zuvor and davor. Zuvor tends to be more formal and is common in written language, while vorher is widely used in everyday speech. Davor can mean before that and may also indicate spatial or sequential precedence, as in Ich stand davor (I stood in front of it) or Ich habe es davor gesehen (I saw it before that).

Etymology and form

The word is a fixed adverb formed from vor (before) and her, a directional element that adds immediacy to the reference point. As an adverb, vorher is not declined and remains the same across different genders and cases. It can occupy various positions in a clause, though it is often placed near the beginning or directly before the finite verb in main clauses.

Usage notes

Vorher is appropriate for signaling temporal precedence in past, present, or future contexts relative to another event. It is common in everyday usage and appears in both spoken and written German, though tone and formality may incline speakers toward zuvor in more formal writing.