1.
the other day; recently; last time
a vague reference to a recent past time, typically within the last few days to a few weeks
この前、ありがとう。
Thanks for the other day.
この前の日曜日に映画を見た。
I watched a movie last Sunday.
この前話した件、どうなった？
What happened with that thing we talked about the other day?
この前初めて行ったレストランがとても美味しかった。
The restaurant I went to for the first time recently was really delicious.
An extremely common time expression in conversational Japanese. The time frame it refers to is intentionally vague — it could be anything from a few days ago to several weeks ago, depending on context.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- この前、～: The other day, ~
- この前の + noun: last ~ / the previous ~
- この前会った時: when we met the other day
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 先日: the other day; more formal and polite, suitable for business and written contexts
- 最近: recently; refers to a broader, ongoing time period rather than a specific point
- 前回: last time; more precise, referring to a specific previous occasion in a series
- このあいだ: the other day; essentially synonymous with この前 in casual speech
REGISTER:
Casual. In formal or business settings, 先日 is preferred.