before和ago都能表示在一段时间以前,但是二者的内涵和具体用法有明显的区别，以下就是二者的区别希望能帮助到同学们学习英语

1.ago表示“从现在起的若干时间以前”，意思是“距今……以前”，需和过去时或过去进行时连用。before泛指“从过去起的若干时间以前”，意思是 “距过去某时……以前”“与其……（毋宁）”，常和完成时连用，尤其在间接引语中，如：I visited him three days ago, but he had gone to Shanghai a week before．我三天前去访问他，但他已与那时的一周前到上海去了。

His parents died ten years ago．他父母十年前都去世了。

He said that his parents had died ten years before．他说他父母亲十年前都去世了。

I have never been there before．我以前从来没有去过那里。

2.如果不具体表明多少时间以前，只用before不用ago，意为“从前、以前”。before仍以副词的形式置于被修饰语后，常与完成时候过去时连用。如：

Have you seen this film before?

He asked me whether I had been to the Great Wall before．

3.表示在某一点时间或事件以前时，只用before不用ago，这种用法是将before当作介词或连词使用。ago不具有这一功能。如：

They will come back before six o’clock．

It is hoped that this will be finished before the year 1995．希望这件工作将在1995年以前完成

另外，before在句中的含义较多。不少句子中，before虽然引导的也是一个时间状语，但是译成汉语时却不必译为“在……以前”。

a.如果before引导的从句动作发生得晚或慢，可译成“……才”。这是主句主语或是名词、代词，或用it作形式主语．

He had almost knocked me down before he saw me．他几乎把我撞倒才看见我。

It will be hours before he arrives．要过几个钟头他才回到达。

You must sow before you can reap．有播种才能有收成。

b.如果强调从句动作发生之前，主句动作已发生，可译成“未……就”或“还没有……就”。

Before I could get in a word he had measured me．我还没有来得及插话，他就给我量号了尺寸

Lu Ban built nine pavilions, but before he could finish the tenth, he heard a cock crowing．鲁班建了九个亭子，但他还没完成第十个就听到公鸡叫了起来。

c.有些句子中的before可译为“先……然后”、“先……再”。

Don’t count the chickens before they are hatched． 不要乐观得太早。

Be pupil before you become a teacher．先做学生，再做先生。

有些句中的before还可译为“在……内”、“趁”、“没”。

They arrived before I expected．我没想到他们到得那么早。

Study hard before it is too late．趁早努力学习。

I had better go now before it is too late．最好我现在就走，免得太迟．

I will be through this book before three days have passed．我要在三天内看完这几本书．

before sb．knew it 一类习惯说法，常译为“不知不觉……就”、“还没弄清……就”、“不知怎么地……就”。

Time passed quickly and three months went by before Aqiao knew it．时间飞快的流失，阿巧不知不觉地在那里度过了三个月。

He fell from the tree before he knew it．他不知怎地一下就从树上掉了下来。

4.加强语气，表示“早已”的意思或使叙述显得更生动，ago也可以用于完成时。如：

I had thought that he had died at least twenty years ago．我本以为他至少二十年前就去世了。

In fact, I have long time ago known the secret．其实我早就知道那个秘密。

5.在表示对过去事情猜测的“情态动词＋have＋过去分词”或“动词的非谓语形式＋have＋过去分词”的结构中，ago也可以和完成时连用。如：

The building is said to have been destroyed in a fire two years ago．据说那栋大楼在两年前的一场大火中已被烧毁。

The incident must taken place years ago．这是一定发生在好几年以前。

You can not have met him a moment ago．刚才你不可能遇见他。

He may have left an hour ago．他可能在一小时以前就走了。

Having read the article a week ago, I know it very well．一个星期以前我已读过这篇文章，我很熟悉。