Before (Prior To)

4 related grammar points that express the same core idea - compared below so you can tell which one to reach for.

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Verb る前に JLPT N5
～までに JLPT N4
～に先立ち JLPT N2
Noun に先駆けて JLPT N1

に先立ち / に先駆けて

Doing something ahead of everyone else, rather than simply beforehand.

Noun に先駆けて vs ～に先立ち: に先駆けて carries being first, ahead of others (世界に先駆けて発売). に先立ち is plain precedence in time, the formal 'prior to' of announcements and ceremonies, with no claim to having beaten anyone to it.