vorab
in advance
Ahead of time, before something else happens or begins.
EXAMPLE
Ich schicke Ihnen die Agenda für das Meeting schon einmal vorab per E-Mail.
I'll send you the agenda for the meeting in advance by email.
vorab
in advance
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word structure
The adverb 'vorab' (in advance) is a compound of 'vor' (before) and 'ab' (off/from). It literally means that something happens before another action or event.
EXAMPLE
Könnten Sie mir die Unterlagen vorab zukommen lassen?
Could you send me the documents in advance?
Sentence position
'Vorab' (in advance) can appear flexibly in the sentence. It often stands at the beginning of the sentence, in which case the verb follows in second position, or it appears in the middle of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Vorab möchte ich mich bei allen für die Teilnahme bedanken.
First of all, I would like to thank everyone for participating.
Typical collocations
The word is often used with verbs of communication. Typical combinations are 'vorab informieren' (to inform in advance), 'vorab besprechen' (to discuss in advance), or 'vorab zusenden' (to send in advance).
EXAMPLE
Lassen Sie uns die Details vorab per Telefon besprechen.
Let's discuss the details by phone in advance.
Compare with
vorab vs zunächst
first / for now
Zunächst and vorab can place something first in time. Zunächst refers to the first step within a sequence. Vorab emphasizes that a message or action takes place before the actual process.
vorab
Vorab schicke ich Ihnen das Problem per E-Mail, bevor unser Gespräch beginnt.
I will send you the problem by email in advance, before our meeting begins.
zunächst
Zunächst erkläre ich im Gespräch das Problem, danach stelle ich meinen Vorschlag vor.
First, I will explain the problem during the meeting, and then I will present my proposal.
In real life
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