This is the 73rd most frequent Portuguese word.
antes
"Antes" means "before" in English.
Here, 'antes' is used as a preposition meaning 'before', indicating that the action of leaving is preceded by another action.
Antes de sair, verifique se você pegou tudo.
Before leaving, double-check that you have everything.
Here, 'antes' is also working as an adverb, positioned at the beginning of a statement to set the time frame for the following description of a past habit.
Antes eu pensava diferente, mas mudei de opinião.
Before, I thought differently, but I changed my opinion.
In this sentence, 'antes' functions as an adverb meaning 'earlier', expressing an action occurring in a prior time compared to another reference point.