originally
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- 1 originally、at first
Describes how someone or something was originally or at the outset, often implying that the situation later changed.
originally、at first
Refers to the original or initial state of a person, place, plan, or situation before a later change.
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แต่เดิมพ่อของเขาประกอบอาชีพค้าขาย tɛ̀ɛ dəəm phɔ̂ɔ khɔ̌ɔŋ khǎw prakɔ̀ɔp aachîip kháa khǎay His father originally worked as a merchant. แต่เดิมพ่อของเขาประกอบอาชีพค้าขาย details
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ที่นี่แต่เดิมเป็นทุ่งนา thîi nîi tɛ̀ɛ dəəm pen thûŋ naa This place was originally a rice field. ที่นี่แต่เดิมเป็นทุ่งนา details
Learning notes
Explanation
แต่เดิม is an adverbial expression that looks back from the present and describes an original or initial state. It often suggests that the circumstances later changed. It can appear at the beginning of a sentence or after the topic. For example, แต่เดิมเขาเป็นครู means “He was originally a teacher,” and ที่นี่แต่เดิมเป็นทุ่งนา means “This place was originally a rice field.” Here, แต่ should not be interpreted separately as the conjunction “but.” The whole expression แต่เดิม functions together with the meaning “originally” or “at first.”
Usage
Commonly used when explaining changes over time, such as a person's former occupation, a place's original condition, the history of a system, or the initial version of a plan. The pattern แต่เดิม…แต่ตอนนี้… (“originally…but now…”) makes the contrast especially clear.
Caution
It does not by itself mean “ever since the beginning.” For continued duration from an earlier point, ตั้งแต่เดิม is more appropriate. Unlike เมื่อก่อน, which can simply mean “in the past,” แต่เดิม focuses on an original or initial state.
Differences from similar words
1 originally synonyms
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เมื่อก่อน broadly means “before” or “in the past” and may simply locate something in an earlier time. แต่เดิม specifically points to an original or initial state, often before a change.