shuìjiào qián bié wàngjì bǎ chuānglián lāshàng.

Don’t forget to draw the curtains before going to sleep.

Breakdown of shuìjiào qián bié wàngjì bǎ chuānglián lāshàng.

• 把bǎ: disposal marker
• 睡觉shuìjiào: to sleep
• 别bié: don't
• 忘记wàngjì: to forget

Questions & Answers about shuìjiào qián bié wàngjì bǎ chuānglián lāshàng.

Why does the sentence start with 睡觉前?

睡觉前 means before sleeping / before going to bed.

Chinese often puts time expressions near the beginning of the sentence, before the main action. So:

• 睡觉前 = before sleeping
• 别忘记把窗帘拉上 = don’t forget to close/draw the curtains

This is a very common pattern:

• 吃饭前洗手。 = Wash your hands before eating.
• 出门前检查一下。 = Check before going out.

So 睡觉前 sets the time frame for the whole sentence.

How does 前 work here?

前 means before when it comes after a verb or phrase.

Pattern:

• verb / action + 前 = before doing that action

Examples:

• 睡觉前 = before sleeping
• 吃饭前 = before eating
• 回家前 = before going home

So 睡觉前 is literally sleep + before, which English expresses as before sleeping or before bed.

Can I say 睡觉之前 instead of 睡觉前?

Yes. 睡觉之前 is also correct.

Both mean before sleeping, but there is a small difference in feel:

• 睡觉前 = shorter, very common in everyday speech
• 睡觉之前 = a little fuller or slightly more formal

In this sentence, 睡觉前别忘记把窗帘拉上 sounds very natural and concise.