"Avant-hier, j'ai rencontré Léo dans un magasin."

Translation: The day before yesterday, I met Léo at a store.

[Seenoff]

Would it be correct to say "......I met Léo in a store" as the french indicates "dans"

[effyleven]

Or, in England, "... in a shop."

[Bryce53261]

Effyleven, you mean "Britain", don't you?

[--Roody--]

C'est la meme chose.

[Yves558328]

The "t" should be pronounced when saying "avant-hier"

[InvertedGo]

I think avant-hier (the day before yesterday) is pronounced [avanT-ier].

Whereas avant hier (before yesterday) is pronounced [ava-ier] (no T).

According to both Reverso and claude295345.

[LenReed]

Yeah, but we shouldn't be transcribing liaisons without moving them to the next syllable. [a.vã.tjɛʁ]. This may seem like pedantry, but I often hear students mispronouncing things by pausing after the liasion sound.

[chriswalli8]

Is there any merit in discussing the difference between meeting leo at a store and meeting leo in a store. In English , for me, at a store sounds arranged and in a store sounds accidental. Although not necessarily context being king.

[GraemeSarg]

I agree. Which means that "at a store" should be "j'ai retrouvé" and "in a store" should be "j'ai rencontré".

[EW5PJ1A3]

How would you say "before yesterday"? the implication being that something changed yesterday. for example, "before yesterday, I thought you were my friend"

[claude295345]

avant hier( with no liaison in the writing and the prononciation) = before yesterday .
avant-hier ( with a liaison in the writing and prononciation [ avantière ] ) = the day before yesterday

[fH6lclhu]

Avant hier je rencontrais Leo dans un magasin... should also be accepted.

[--Roody--]

I don't think so. "Avant-hier" indicates it was a one-time meeting, so passé composé is a good tense.

[GraemeSarg]

No it should not. "Avant-hier" is pronounce differently to "Avant hier" (the "t" is pronounced) and even if, like me, you cannot hear a difference between "rencontré" and "rencontrais" you need to accustom yourself to hearing the difference between "j'ai" and "je".

[SimonPowel9]

Sounds very much like je rencontrais to me, until slowed down. Am I the only one?

[InvertedGo]

Rencontré and rencontrais sound very similar but not identical. However, je and j'ai are only somewhat similar. At least to my ear :)

[Peter782099]

At last, 'before' relates to something and the usage is correct.

[Kay402889]

Would "the day before last" be acceptable as an alternative?

[GraemeSarg]

"The day before last" is "(l')avant-dernier jour", which unlike "avant-hier" can be time-shifted by the surrounding context or narrative to what used to be the day before yesterday at any time in the past.

"Avant-hier" can only be time-shifted as dialogue, otherwise it is always relative to "NOW".

As a result, I don't think it is a comfortable substitution.

[Rich889905]

Has anyone tried using "ereyesterday", which literally means "avant-hier"??

[Bob420062]

Dans un magasin should mean, in a store.