Breakdown of watasi ha neru mae ni denki wo kesimasu.
はha
topic particle
私watasi
I
をwo
direct object particle
にni
time particle
前mae
before
電気denki
light
寝るneru
to sleep
消すkesu
to turn off
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Questions & Answers about watasi ha neru mae ni denki wo kesimasu.
Why is は used after 私 instead of が?
は is the topic marker, not the subject marker. It tells the listener “I’m talking about me” and sets 私 as the context for the rest of the sentence. If you used が, you’d be emphasizing 私 as the one doing the action (“it is I who…”), which isn’t necessary here.
Why is 寝る前に used with に? Can you just say 寝る前?
前 is a noun meaning “before.” To turn “before sleeping” into a time adverbial phrase, you attach に.
- 寝る前に = “at the time before sleeping”
Without に, the phrase doesn’t clearly mark when the action happens.
Why is 寝る in its dictionary form, even though the main verb is 消します in ます-form?
When you describe one action in relation to another (e.g. “before sleeping”), you use the plain (dictionary) form of the first verb to modify 前. Only the main verb at the end of the sentence takes the polite ます-form.
What role does を play in 電気を消します?
を is the direct-object particle. It marks 電気 as what is being acted upon (i.e. what you turn off).
Why is the verb 消します placed at the end of the sentence?
Japanese follows SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) word order. Anything that isn’t the main verb (topics, objects, adverbials) comes before the verb.
Could you drop 私は and just say 寝る前に電気を消します?
Yes. Japanese often omits the subject/topic when it’s clear from context. In a personal diary or conversation about your own routine, 寝る前に電気を消します is perfectly natural.
Can you use ライト instead of 電気?
Yes.
- 電気を消す is the most common way to say “turn off the (room) light.”
- ライトを消す tends to refer to a portable lamp or flashlight. Both are grammatically fine; just pick the word that fits your context.