Past

Late

The late Pope John Paul II once remarked that ...
My late father worked in China in the 1990s.


We tend to use the late only for people who who died comparatively recently. If it can be safely assumed that the listener(s)/reader(s) know that the person is dead, then we don't use it. It also tends to be used formally. Some native speakers never use it.

Do we have a word or expression for passed people (people who have died before) in english?

We also speak of 'the dead' as a group.

eg After the battle, the dead lay all around.

eg Say only good things about the dead.

I don't want to emphasize that they have died. I want to say that they have lived in the past, with their customs and belief and way of life.

soheil1I don't want to emphasize that they have died. I want to say that they have lived in the past, with their customs and belief and way of life.

You could say our forefathers/ancestors.

English has lots of cool expressions that remind me how much I love black humor

For example:

to kick th

but an ancestor or a forefather have something in common with us. The word I want should denote not common ground

soheil1but an ancestor or a forefather have something in common with us. The word I want should denote not common ground

Have you any more restrictions before we spend any more time on this?

Not any restrictions ii I can think of.
Our ancestors will be national, won't them?

Our forefathers (http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/forefather) are not necessarily related to us.