former
gb/fˈɔɹmɚ/ us/fˈɔɹmɚ/
B1
English
~ 700
volt, egykori, korábbi, előbbi
B1
1
Usage pattern:
former [role/position/title]
She had coffee with a former colleague from her old company.
Kávézott egy volt kollégájával a régi munkahelyéről.
The former president gave a speech at the event.
A volt elnök beszédet mondott az eseményen.
This building was the former home of the city's mayor.
He is a former champion who still trains young athletes.
The museum is located in a former factory.
Learner examples
My former teacher is now a writer.
A volt tanárom most író.
He is a former student of this school.
Ő ennek az iskolának a volt diákja.
This is my former house.
She met her former boss yesterday.
That shop is in a former bank building.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'former' with 'formal'. 'Former' means 'from before', while 'formal' relates to rules or dress style.
Meaning
having a previous role or status
Collocations
former president
|former employee
|former champion
|former home
|former life
Synonyms
previous (More general; can describe time order, not only roles or positions.)
|
ex- (Informal prefix form used before titles or roles.)
Antonyms
current (Describes someone or something holding a role or state now.)
Themes
time
|identity
|history
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Describes a person or thing that was something before but is not now.
Used to describe someone or something that had a particular role, position, or state in the past but does not have it now.
B2
2
előbbi
B2
Usage pattern:
the former ... the latter
Between tea and coffee, I prefer the former.
Tea és kávé közül az előbbit szeretem jobban.
John and Mike arrived; the former was early, the latter was late.
John és Mike megérkezett; az előbbi korán érkezett, az utóbbi későn.
Of the two proposals, we chose the former.
Learner examples
I like cats and dogs. I like the former more.
Szeretem a macskákat és a kutyákat. Az előbbieket jobban szeretem.
We saw Paris and London. The former was sunny.
Jártunk Párizsban és Londonban. Az előbbiben napos idő volt.
Between blue and red, I choose the former.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'former' here with its meaning of 'previous'; in this context it always compares two mentioned items.
Meaning
the first of two mentioned
Collocations
the former option
|between the former and the latter
Synonyms
first-mentioned (More explicit but less common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
latter (Refers to the second of two mentioned items.)
Themes
language
|comparison
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definition
Means the first of two things you talked about.
Referring to the first of two people or things that have just been mentioned.
Grammar
Dictionary form
former
IPA
GB/fˈɔɹmɚ/
US/fˈɔɹmɚ/
Syllables & stress
former (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (former)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: former
Word family
Expressions
the former ... the latter
1/ðə fˈɔɹmɚ | ðə lˈætɚ/
fixed phrase
referring to first and second mentioned
Used when talking about two things to mean the first and the second one.
Examples
- Between summer and winter, I like the former, while she prefers the latter.
- We discussed honesty and kindness; the former is more important to me, the latter to her.