Thread: Перед / напротив

Hello

Simple question : what's the difference between those ? Both mean something like "in front of", right ?
Thanks

напротив - 1) on the opposite side; across the street / road / way
2) on the contrary

... while 'Перед' is a good equivalent of 'before' (prep.) in most cases.

So if I mean "my house is opposite yours" I will say "мой дом - напротив вашего", and if I mean "my car is parked before your house" I'll go for "моя машина стоит перед вашим домом" ?

Originally Posted by Zubr

So if I mean "my house is opposite yours" I will say "мой дом - напротив вашего", and if I mean "my car is parked before your house" I'll go for "моя машина стоит перед вашим домом" ?

Yep!

Many thanks ! This forum is definitely of great help !

Except we don't usually use "before" to mean "in front of". My car is parked in front of your house. So what would be "My car is parked in front of your house on the other side of the street." ?

"Before" is usually time-related. Not always, but most of the time.

Originally Posted by chaika

So what would be "My car is parked in front of your house on the other side of the street." ?

I would say
"Моя машина стоит напротив твоего дома на другой стороне улицы."
But I can easily imagine somebody saying "перед твоим домом", especially if the street is not wide.

Actually, if the street were narrow and I wanted to omit "on the other side" part I would myself say
"Моя машина стоит перед твоим домом."

Originally Posted by chaika

"Before" is usually time-related. Not always, but most of the time.

As like as "перед". "Ночь перед Рождеством".

Originally Posted by E-learner

especially if the street is not wide.

Now here is the crucial circumstance! If the house is on the other side of the road but has a mile driveway, it is definitely not перед.