Hello, teachers!

I think #2 is much more clear than #1, but both are correct with the same meaning. Am I right?

1. I never thought I could do this before.
2. I never thought before I could do this.

Thank you very much.
Best Regards.

Sentence 1 is clear. It's such a short sentence that there's no danger of ambiguity as to what is modified by "before."

Sentence 2 is unclear as written, because the sequence "before I could do this" could be mistakenly understood as a clause, when in fact the adverb "before" really modifies only the verb "thought." Sentence 2 can be made clear by inserting the relativizer "that," to create a noun clause direct object:

"” I never thought before THAT I could do this

You could also say

"” I never before thought I could do this

Marilyn