In advance means before something happens, ahead of time. You use it about things done before an event, such as booking or paying: Book your tickets in advance. In work emails you often see Thanks in advance, a polite way to thank someone before they help.
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book/pay/plan + in advance; time + in advance (a week in advance); in advance of + event; Thanks in advance
- If you want a table on Friday night, you need to book at least a week in advance.
- Our landlord asked us to pay two months' rent in advance.
- Please send the slides in advance so we can print them before the meeting.
What changed
First versionPlease tell me before if you can't come to the lesson.
RevisionPlease tell me in advance if you can't come to the lesson.
Before is often used to mean ahead of time, but on its own it usually means at some time in the past: I've seen this film before. In the request tell me before, a native speaker expects more: before what? To ask someone to warn you ahead of time, say tell me in advance, so before was changed to in advance.
The amount of time goes before in advance: book a table two days in advance. To name the event itself, use in advance of: in advance of the meeting. In everyday speech it is simpler to say before the meeting.
Your turn
Thank you ___ for checking the draft, which I'll send you on Monday.
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in advance — In an email, Thank you in advance is a fixed formula for thanking someone before they help. Beforehand also means ahead of time, but it is not used in this formula. It is used about an action done earlier: I checked the address beforehand.
Write a short request to a colleague or teacher. Ask them to do something ahead of time and say how long before.
Could you send me the agenda two days in advance, so I can prepare my questions?
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