a while ago vs just before

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'A while ago' is used to refer to a past time that is not specified, while 'just before' is used to indicate a specific time or event that occurred immediately prior to another event.

Last updated: March 26, 2024 • 826 views

a while ago

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to refer to a past time that is not specified.

This phrase is used to indicate a time in the past that is not precisely defined. It is often used in casual conversation to refer to something that happened some time before the current moment.

Examples:

I saw her a while ago at the store.
He called me a while ago, but I missed his call.
We went to that restaurant a while ago and had a great meal.
She moved to a new city a while ago.
I read that book a while ago and really enjoyed it.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 31, 2024

2 days ago ... r/StardewValley - Little fanart of Linus I did a while ago. Page 1 ( ...
Jan 11, 2017 ... a while ago means some time ago. The period of time we're talking about can be a day, a week, a couple of months or, possibly, even a couple ...
Jul 26, 2022 ... “Awhile ago” is incorrect—the adverb awhile must always modify a verb. That means you need the noun here. Example: A while ago in a sentence ...
2 days ago ... STOLEN AMG! Hello my amg got stolen a while ago in sweden my question is if its possible to track the car trough the gps unit? Model is c63 2010.
Nov 1, 2020 ... Hello. Is the expression 'a while ago' used for very different time frames? Ex. -Have you seen Jack? -He was here a while ago (meaning ...
Aug 15, 2024 ... a bit of a while ago but not that long I made an album under the alias Stone Giants called West coast love stories. the first song since ...
Aug 2, 2012 ... Could you tell me which is the correct phrase here? He has gone out a while ago. He has gone out a while back. Thank you in advance. Angel. Back ...
3 days ago ... A while ago, I became officially dutch! After 10 years working and living in the Netherlands - the country that welcomed me and ...
These are words and phrases related to a while ago. Click on any word or phrase to go to its thesaurus page. PREVIOUSLY. Synonyms.
Jun 11, 2024 ... A while ago, I committed to write about leadership lessons picked from my bosses and colleagues along the way, and I stopped at Larfarge.

Alternatives:

some time back
some time ago
a little while ago
a few moments ago
a bit earlier

just before

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate a specific time or event that occurred immediately prior to another event.

This phrase is used to refer to a specific time or event that happened immediately before another event. It is often used to describe the timing of actions or occurrences.

Examples:

She left just before I arrived.
He finished his work just before the deadline.
The phone rang just before I was about to leave.
I saw him just before he left for the airport.
The rain stopped just before we started our picnic.

Show examples from the web [+]

Casey stayed until just before closing.
Wilfred died of leukemia just before Yom Kippur.
Shaved his beard just before he escaped.
Use your Avonex injection just before bedtime.
Freeman visited Jack Ramsay just before his death.
They hit us just before dawn outside Montecatini.
Husband found her just before midnight.
The body was found just before half-eight.
That was just before the accident.
I smelt hyacinths, just before the sandbag dropped.
I arrived just before Carlos and the crime techs.
She called me just before the strike to gloat.
She called me just before the strike to gloat.
I offered him a job just before he died.
This is him just before he left.
Like her thoughts just before she died...
Cabby says he dropped her off here just before midnight.
Your father said nearly the same thing just before I slit his throat.
Warburg posted a video just before he went into hiding.
He was at the savoy just before he disappeared.

Alternatives:

right before
immediately before
shortly before
moments before
a moment ago

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

a while ago vs just before

a while ago

just before

Related Comparisons

What Our Customers Are Saying