avant, c'était

it used to be

→ avant

phrase Rare #41,217

it used to be Used to describe how something was in the past, often in contrast with how it is now. In informal speech, “c'était pas” may be used instead of “ce n'était pas.”

FR: Avant, c'était un petit village.

EN: It used to be a small village.

Avant, c'était exquis !

It used to be exquisite!

— Tampopo (1985)

Avant, c'était pas comme ça.

It wasn't like this before.

— Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Avant, c'était Warsaw.

Before, it was Warsaw.

— Control (2007)

Avant, c'était pas pareil.

It wasn't the same before.

— Léviathan (2014)

Avant, c'était comme un frère pour moi.

Before, he was like a brother to me.