Thanks in advance or thanks before?

[Natalia]

Hello everybody!
Is it correct to use "thanks before" as "thanks in a advance"?
I always thought they are the same but, surprisingly, yesterday I could not find "thanks before" in a dictionary!

Thanks .

[Alan]

Hi Natalia,

Thanks for your question. The expression you would use is: Thanks in advance. 'Before' can be used as an adverb, a conjunction or a preposition as in the following:

I have never been to that country before. (Adverb)
I cooked the dinner before I went out. (Conjunction)
We went on holiday before Christmas. (Preposition)

Hope this helps.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Everything in the Garden is lovely

[Conchita]

Maybe what Natalia had heard was ‘Thanks beforehand’.

Apropos, how does ‘Thank you in anticipation’ sound? It strucks me as less casual and perhaps even a bit unusual, but I’m not sure.

Thanks in advance (to be on the safe side, I’ll stick to the most commonly used phrase)!

[Jamie (K)]