The unknown "before" ....

Question

Hola amigos!

I was conversing with a spanish-speaking friend today, and in my head I wanted to say "yes, we've met before" (talking about another person that wasn't present.) And I realized that I was unsure about this "unknown" before. "Antes" didn't feel right when referencing a non-specific time in the past when an action "meeting someone" occurred, yet neither did anything like "anterior" or "última...". It dawned on me that "ya" would probably suffice, but it doesn't have the same feel as "before".

This hanging "before" is used quite a bit in English in all sorts of different situations. It's possible that there is no such filler word in Spanish, but I'm guessing there is.

Also, I will add that I'm sure (like in English), I could have gotten away with using the preterite in this situation, like: "sí, conocimos" ... but it seems flat and not as exciting! ha.

So I ask you, SD community: what can I use? Thanks!

Answer 1

"yes, we've met before"

What about:

"Sí, nos hemos conocido antes."

Thanks. That's the only thing I could come up with, too. - RedLine55, Mar 6, 2012

Answer 2

¡Si, ya nos habíamos conocido! = Yes, we've already met!

• ¡Si, ya nos conocemos! = Yes, we've already met!

Thanks, Farallon. I guess "before" at the end of sentences is really just fluff, and definitely not necessary. - RedLine55, Mar 6, 2012

hemos (we have, we've); habíamos (we had) - it's different in English. I'm not sure if it matters as much in Spanish. - Goldie_Miel, Mar 6, 2012