(せんせんしゅう)

せんせんしゅう
noun
the week before last
time-general
1. the week before last
Two weeks ago. The week that came before last week.
先々週(せんせんしゅう)日曜日(にちようび)()った
I met them the Sunday before last.
先々週(せんせんしゅう)から風邪(かぜ)()いている
I've had a cold since the week before last.
I still haven't checked the contents of the package that arrived the week before last.

先々週(せんせんしゅう) is formed by doubling the (せん) prefix to push further into the past: (せん) (previous) + (せん) (previous) + (しゅう) (week).

Relative time series (WEEKS)

Parallel patterns

The 先々(せんせん)〜 pattern works for other time units too:

  • 先々月(せんせんげつ): the month before last
  • 一昨年(おととし)/先々年(せんせんねん): the year before last
  • 一昨日(おととい): the day before yesterday

Usage

Used in everyday conversation. No special formality — equally natural in casual and polite speech.