Meaning and Usage
"어제" means "yesterday" and is used to refer to the day before today. It is a very common adverb of time in everyday conversation.
Common Contexts
You will often hear "어제" when talking about past events, such as meetings, weather, or health conditions. It helps specify when something happened.
Collocations and Patterns
- 어제 + verb (e.g., 어제 만났어요): to say what happened yesterday.
- 어제부터 + verb (e.g., 어제부터 아파요): to indicate something started or changed from yesterday.
Register and Politeness
"어제" is neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts without change.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse "어제" with "오늘" (today) or "내일" (tomorrow). Remember "어제" always refers to the day before the current day.