former

前任的、以前的置于名词前

A former colleague of mine now runs a bakery downtown.

我的一位前同事现在在市区开面包店。

从前的、昔日的、过去的

In former times, people traveled these roads on horseback.

从前人们骑马走这些路。

前者的与 latter 相对

Of the two proposals, the former option seems more realistic.

这两个提案中，前一个选项似乎比较实际。

前者常与 the 连用

We could fly or take the train; I prefer the former.

我们可以搭飞机或坐火车，我比较喜欢前者。