Say it like this
- Can we prepone the meeting to 11?
- Could we bring the call forward by an hour?
- Let's move the demo up to Tuesday.
Use it at work
With Indian colleagues
- Can we prepone the call to 3?
- The review has been preponed to Thursday.
With US colleagues
- Could we move it up to 10?
- Can we move the demo up a day?
With UK and European colleagues
- Could we bring the meeting forward?
- Would it be possible to bring it forward to Monday?
Don't say this
Many people outside India do not know prepone.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| prepone | move earlier | Indian English | rescheduling with Indian teams |
| postpone | move later | everyone | delaying a meeting or event |
| bring forward | move earlier | UK and global | rescheduling with international teams |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. You want a US client meeting to start earlier. What do you write?
2. The client asked to _______ the demo from Friday to Wednesday.
3. Which sentence is correct?
4. Rewrite for a UK colleague: 'Can we prepone tomorrow's standup by 30 minutes?'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"Can we prepone the meeting to 11?"
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More about prepone
Real examples(3)
- with an Indian team
"The client wants to prepone the review to Thursday."
- with a US team
"Could we move the sync up to 10 am?"
- with a UK team
"Would it be possible to bring the meeting forward to Monday?"
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Prepone may confuse colleagues outside South Asia. Use bring forward or move up with them.
- ✕Let's prepone the meeting to next week. (when it was this week)✓Let's postpone the meeting to next week.
Prepone means earlier; postpone means later.
- ✕We preponed it later.✓We preponed it. / We moved it earlier.
Prepone already means earlier.
Other forms(3)
- preponed past
"The release was preponed by two days."
- bring forward global alternative
"Can we bring the call forward?"
- move up US alternative
"Let's move the meeting up."
Often used with(3)
- prepone the meeting · move it earlier
- prepone by an hour / a day · how much earlier
- prepone to + time · the new, earlier time
Similar words(3)
- bring forward · UK and global
- move up · US
- move earlier · clear everywhere
Opposites(3)
- postpone
- push back
- delay
Questions(4)
- What does prepone mean?
- To move something to an earlier time. It is the opposite of postpone.
- Is prepone a real English word?
- Yes, in Indian English it is standard and appears in dictionaries. It is rarely used in US or UK English.
- What can I say instead of prepone?
- "Bring forward" (UK), "move up" (US) or simply "move earlier".
- What is the opposite of prepone?
- "Postpone", "push back" or "delay".
