How do you read "BC" in a year?

BC stands for "Before Christ." It is referring to a time period before Christ was born, according to the Christian churches. However, people with more secular beliefs will refer to this time as "Before Common Era," or "BCE."
Years during this time can be a bit confusing, since it's the opposite of how we read years in AD. For example, if we say 2012 AD, we know that they are referring to 2012 years after the birth of Christ. Therefore, the date 2000 AD would be before 2012. However, when referring to 2012 BC, you are talking 2012 years before the birth of Christ. Therefore 2000 BC would be *after *2012 BC. Similarly, if you were talking about 1000 BC, it would be before 2012 BC.

Answered by iloveonedirection | 2024-06-10

Generally, according to many people, BC=Before Christ's time on earth. (Christ as in the person that Christian people believe in) AD=Anno Domini or after his life on earth. Some people would say we are living in AD right now.

Answered by Geekhawk | 2024-06-10

BC stands for 'Before Christ', indicating years before the birth of Jesus. When looking at BC years, they count down toward 1 BC, which is followed by 1 AD. For example, 2000 BC is earlier than 2012 BC and closer to the birth of Christ compared to 1000 BC.
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Answered by iloveonedirection | 2025-04-07