How to Say ‘I used to be an English teacher in the US.’ in Traditional Chinese
我以前在美國當英文老師。
wǒ yǐ qián zài měi guó dāng yīng wén lǎo shī
[wo yǐqián zài Měiguó dāng Yīngwén lǎoshī]
💬 Usage Tip: The order is fixed: time (以前), then place (在美國), then action (當英文老師). Keep that sequence: 我以前在日本當廚師 "I used to be a chef in Japan."
🇹🇼 In Taiwan: Former English teachers are common among foreigners in Taiwan, so this line usually gets a knowing nod. Be ready to be asked to help with English.
Phrase Breakdown
我以前在美國
wǒ yǐ qián zài měi guó
I used to, in the US,
以前 means 'before'. 在美國 means 'in America'. In Chinese, time comes before place.
我以前在美國讀書。
I used to study in the US.
Words in this phrase
我
wǒ
[wo]
I; me
The first-person pronoun used to talk about yourself.
我想多了解你們公司的制度，所以先自我介紹。
I want to learn more about your company’s system, so I’ll introduce myself first.
以前
yǐ qián
[yǐqián]
before
Placed after a time to mean 'before/by that time'.
中午以前要付款。
Payment is due before noon.
在
zài
[zài]
at, in
A preposition used to denote location or time.
我在學校。
I am at school.
美國
měi guó
[Měiguó]
the United States
The country USA.
我想去美國。
I want to go to the US.
當英文老師。
dāng yīng wén lǎo shī
work as an English teacher.
當 plus a job means 'to work as' that job.
他當英文老師。
He works as an English teacher.
Words in this phrase
當
dāng
[dāng]
to work as; to serve as
Used before a job title to say what role someone has.
他想當醫生。
He wants to be a doctor.
英文
yīng wén
[Yīngwén]
English (language)
The English language.
我在學英文。
I'm learning English.
老師
lǎo shī
[lǎoshī]
teacher
A person who teaches; also used as a respectful title.
老師，新年好！
Happy New Year, teacher!
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