Chinese phrase
以前有〜问题吗？ yǐ qián yǒu 〜 wèn tí ma
Meaning
Have there been any problems with ___ before?
When to use it
Asks whether something has had problems in the past. It is a neutral way to check a person's or item's history, often before making a choice or agreement.
Example dialogue
买二手车的时候要问卖家：以前有安全上的 问题吗？ mǎi èr shǒu chē de shí hòu yào wèn mài jiā yǐ qián yǒu ān quán shàng de wèn tí ma
When buying a used car, ask the seller, "Have there been any safety problems before?"
没有，车检通过，没有事故记录。 méi yǒu chē jiǎn tōng guò méi yǒu shì gù jì lù
No, it passed the vehicle inspection, and it has no accident record.