früher
German, adjective[ˈfʁyːɐ]
früher is spelled F-R-Ü-H-E-R (6 letters) and appears 166 times per million words in written German, the 523rd most frequent German word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Früher is a German adjective meaning “former, erstwhile, previous (that which once was, but no longer is)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a comparative degree of früh. The German Wiktionary defines it as “zeitlich vorher”.
What does früher mean in English?
adjective
- 1
former, erstwhile, previous (that which once was, but no longer is)
der frühere Präsident
adverb
- 1
comparative degree of früh
Es tut mir leid, aber ich konnte nicht früher kommen.
- 2
formerly, in the past (often years ago, in contrast to nowadays)
Das Museumsgebäude diente früher als Postamt.
adjective
- 1
comparative degree of früh: earlier
Ich hätte gern einen früheren Termin.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
adjective: 1. zeitlich vorher 2. gewesen, zurückliegend
adverb: 1. eher 2. in der Vergangenheit liegend
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of früher
- früherer masculine nominative singular
- frühere feminine nominative singular
- früheres neuter nominative singular
- früheren genitive masculine singular
- früherem dative masculine singular
- der frühere definite includes-article masculine
- die frühere definite feminine includes-article
- das frühere definite includes-article neuter
- die früheren definite includes-article nominative
- des früheren definite genitive includes-article
- der früheren definite feminine genitive
- dem früheren dative definite includes-article
- den früheren dative definite includes-article
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce früher?
- [ˈfʁyːɐ]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to früher
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is früher in German?
früher appears 166 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).