before talked

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "before talked" is not correct in standard written English.
It is likely intended to refer to a past conversation or discussion, but the correct form would be "talked before" or "had talked before." Example: "I had talked before about the importance of teamwork in our meetings."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

He has twice before talked about running for Congress against Mr. Engel, only to decide against it.

The New York Times

Some of those interviewed for this special report had never before talked to a foreigner, let alone a foreign journalist.With greater political freedom has come economic change.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Mr. Santana declined to speak further before talking to investigators canvassing the sprawling extended family.

The New York Times

His wife, Rabi Abdullahi, nods, and asks her husband's permission before talking.

Independent

Ryan had spelled out their strategy the day before, talking about attacking that Baylor zone.

Los Angeles Times

The Bodyguard is coming to Miami, but not before talking to HuffPost.

Huffington Post

The doctor should ask me for permission before talking to my support worker about me.

BMC Family Practice

Pay attention to them before talking.

WikiHow

Make sure you have someone's full attention before talking.

WikiHow

Try not to think extra miles before talking.

WikiHow

Talk to the little boy first before talking to the little girl next to him.

WikiHow

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Avoid using the phrase "before talked" in formal writing. Instead, use more grammatically correct alternatives such as "had talked before" or "previously discussed".

Common error

Do not confuse the simple past with the past perfect tense. "Before talking" is a correct construction and is used to signify the action of talking will occur after another event. If you mean to say you have already talked about something, use "had talked before" or "previously discussed".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "before talked" is intended to indicate that a conversation or discussion occurred at an earlier time. However, the grammatical structure is incorrect. As Ludwig AI notes, the accurate forms are "had talked before" or "previously discussed".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

37%

Science

13%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "before talked" appears in some sources, it's grammatically incorrect in standard English. As Ludwig AI points out, more appropriate alternatives include "had talked before" or "previously discussed". Usage of "before talked" is rare, and it's advisable to opt for the suggested alternatives, particularly in formal or professional settings. Though present in some news sources, grammatical accuracy should be prioritized.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had talked before

Uses the past perfect tense to clearly indicate a prior conversation.

talked about before

Focuses on the topic having been previously discussed.

already discussed

Emphasizes that the discussion has already taken place.

previously discussed

A more formal way of saying something was talked about earlier.

mentioned before

Indicates something was briefly referenced in the past.

spoken about earlier

Similar to "talked about before" but emphasizes the act of speaking.

addressed previously

A formal way to indicate that an issue or topic was dealt with earlier.

previously mentioned

Similar to "mentioned before" but slightly more formal.

covered before

Suggests a topic was comprehensively discussed earlier.

had a conversation about

Specifies that a full conversation took place about the topic.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "before talked"?

Instead of "before talked", you can use phrases like "had talked before", "previously discussed", or "talked about before" to ensure grammatical correctness.

Is "before talked" grammatically correct?

No, "before talked" is not grammatically correct in standard English. The correct forms are "had talked before" or "previously discussed".

How can I use "had talked before" in a sentence?

You can use "had talked before" to indicate a past conversation. For example, "We had talked before about the importance of teamwork."

What is the difference between "before talking" and "before talked about"?

"Before talking" indicates an action that will happen. "Before talked about" is grammatically incorrect; use "previously discussed" or "had talked about before" instead to refer to something that has already been discussed.