before meals
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- 1 before meals、before eating
This expression means “before meals” or “before eating.” It is especially common in instructions for taking medicine before a meal.
before meals、before eating
It marks the time before starting a meal, often in medicine instructions or routines done before eating.
Learning notes
Explanation
ก่อนอาหาร is made from ก่อน, “before,” and อาหาร, “food; meal.” In this expression, อาหาร refers to the meal as an event, not simply the food item itself. The most common pattern is กินยาก่อนอาหาร, “take medicine before meals.”
Usage
It is most often used in hospitals, pharmacies, medicine labels, and health instructions. It can also be used for everyday routines such as washing hands before eating or not snacking before a meal.
Caution
It normally refers to time, not physical position in front of food.
Differences from similar words
1 before meals synonyms
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หลังอาหาร means “after meals,” the opposite timing. ก่อนอาหาร means “before meals,” so the distinction is important in medicine instructions.