"Before" vs "in front of"

[albertino]

What are the differences between "before" and "in front of" an object?
Are there any cases where their meanings are overlapped?
Thank you.

[Tdol]

When you're dealing with two dimensions, the meaning can overlap- a word could come before/in front of another.

[hdrao]

Typical mistake: I think I’ll put the desk before the window.


In modern English, before is not very often used as preposition of place; we use in front of instead.

I think I’ll put the desk in front of the window.
There’s a car parked right in front of our gate, and I can’t get out!

Before is used to refer to place in a few cases:

1. talking about the order in which things come (in lists, etc)

Your name comes before mine.

2. to mean ‘ in the presence of (somebody important )’

I came up before the magistrates for dangerous driving last week.

3. in the expressions right before my eyes, before my very eyes.


----Michael Swan, Practical English Usage

[albertino]

Typical mistake: I think I’ll put the desk before the window.


In modern English, before is not very often used as preposition of place; we use in front of instead.

I think I’ll put the desk in front of the window.
There’s a car parked right in front of our gate, and I can’t get out!

Before is used to refer to place in a few cases:

1. talking about the order in which things come (in lists, etc)

Your name comes before mine.

2. to mean ‘ in the presence of (somebody important )’

I came up before the magistrates for dangerous driving last week.

3. in the expressions right before my eyes, before my very eyes.


----Michael Swan, Practical English Usage

Sound & Clear, Thank you.