γεγ«
~ mae ni
Before doing...
πΈ Expressing Sequential Actions πΈ
π¬ Dialogue
Gohan o taberu mae ni, te o araimasu.
Before I eat a meal, I wash my hands.
Ii desu ne. Neru mae ni, nani o shimasu ka?
That's good. What do you do before you go to bed?
Neru mae ni, hon o yomimasu.
Before I sleep, I read a book.
Watashi wa, neru mae ni nikki o kakimasu.
As for me, I write in my diary before I sleep.
Nihon e kuru mae ni, Nihongo o benkyou shimashita ka?
Did you study Japanese before coming to Japan?
Hai, sukoshi benkyou shimashita.
Yes, I studied a little.
π Vocabulary
5 wordsβ Key Sentence
V-dictionary form mae ni, ~.
Before doing [Verb], ...
- Pattern: [Verb] εγ«γγγ
- Meaning: Before doing something.
Oyogu mae ni, junbi undou o shimasu.
Before swimming, I do warm-up exercises.
Ryokou ni iku mae ni, kippu o kaimasu.
Before going on a trip, I buy a ticket.
π Explanation
To express that one action happens before another, use the dictionary form of a verb followed by εγ« (mae ni).
The verb before εγ« is always in the dictionary form, regardless of whether the main sentence is in the past or present tense.
This structure helps clarify the sequence of events in your daily routine or plans.
Taberu mae ni te o araimasu.
= 'Before eating, I wash my hands.'
Neru mae ni hon o yomimashita.
= 'Before sleeping, I read a book (past).'
π Quiz
Which of the following means 'Before I sleep, I read a book.'?