'avant' and 'devant'

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EducatorPermalink Reply by stu harris on December 17, 2010 at 6:13pm

avant means before,  usually in time.

devant means in front of, usually in place.

 

Veuillez payer avant la fin du mois = Please pay before the end of the month

Il y a une station Vélib juste devant l'hotel = There's a Vélib station right in front of the hotel

 

Some metaphorical usages of devant need to be translated as before.

Tous sont égaux devant la loi = All are equal before the law

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