Breakdown of zyunbi ga owattara, hayame ni nemasu.
がga
subject particle
寝るneru
to sleep
〜たら〜tara
conditional form
準備zyunbi
preparation
終わるowaru
to finish
早め にhayame ni
early
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Questions & Answers about zyunbi ga owattara, hayame ni nemasu.
Why is the particle が used after 準備 here? Could we use は instead?
In the clause 準備が終わったら, が marks 準備 as the subject of the intransitive verb 終わる (“to finish”). You could say 準備は終わったら, but that would put contrast or emphasis on “preparations” (as in “as for the preparations…”). Using が simply introduces what finishes without extra nuance.
Why does the sentence use 終わったら instead of 終えたら or 終わると?
終わったら is the たら‐conditional of 終わる (intransitive “to finish”). If you want to express “once I finish [it] myself,” you’d use the transitive 終える with を: 準備を終えたら. As for 終わると, the と-conditional often implies a natural or automatic result (“whenever A happens, B inevitably follows”), and it’s less flexible for describing your planned action after A. たら here simply means “after A happens, then B.”
What nuance does the たら‐form add compared to other conditionals like とき or なら?
The たら conditional (past tense + ら) emphasizes sequence or timing: “once A happens, then B.”
- とき focuses on “when” or “at the time that,” without necessarily implying sequence.
- なら suggests “if” in the sense of “given A.”
Since you want to say “after finishing (A), I’ll go to bed” in a clear sequence, たら is most natural.
Why is 早めに used instead of 早く to say “early”?
Both 早く and 早めに can mean “early,” but 早めに (the noun/na‐adjective 早め + に) adds the nuance “a bit earlier than usual or planned.” 早く is the plain adverb “early” or “quickly,” whereas 早めに suggests adjusting the timing slightly earlier.
What is the function of the particle に after 早め?
Because 早め is an adverbial noun or na‐adjective, it needs に to modify the verb 寝ます. So 早めに寝ます means “go to bed a bit early.” Without に, it wouldn’t grammatically link to the verb.
Is it okay to mix the plain form 終わったら with the polite form 寝ます in one sentence?
Yes. In Japanese, subordinate clauses (like the たら‐clause) commonly use plain form even if the main clause is polite. This mix sounds perfectly natural to native speakers.
Does 寝ます here strictly mean “to sleep,” or can it also mean “to go to bed”?
寝ます can mean both “go to bed” and “sleep.” In context—talking about when you’ll do it—it most naturally means “go to bed.” Whether you fall asleep immediately is implied but not the main point.