Breakdown of sigoto ni iku mae ni koohii wo nomanai to.
にni
destination particle
行くiku
to go
をwo
direct object particle
飲むnomu
to drink
にni
time particle
コーヒーkoohii
coffee
仕事sigoto
work
前mae
before
〜ないと〜naito
negative conditional form
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Questions & Answers about sigoto ni iku mae ni koohii wo nomanai to.
Why does the sentence use 仕事に行く instead of 仕事へ行く?
Both に and へ can mark direction or destination.
- 仕事に行く and 仕事へ行く both mean “go to work.”
- へ emphasizes movement toward a place, while に neutrally indicates arrival at that destination.
Why are there two particles に in 仕事に行く前に? Don’t they conflict?
They have different functions:
- The first に (after 仕事) marks the destination for 行く (“go”).
- The second に (after 前) turns 前 (“before”) into an adverbial time expression. So 行く前に = “before going.”
What does 前に do when attached to a verb, as in 行く前に?
When you take a verb in dictionary form (e.g. 行く) and add 前に, you get “before doing [that verb].”
Example: 仕事に行く前に means “before going to work.”
Why is the verb 飲む in the negative form 飲まない, and what does the ending ～ないと mean?
～ないと is a casual contraction of ～ないといけない or ～ないとダメ, both expressing obligation (“must”/“have to”).
- Despite looking negative, 飲まないと does not mean “don’t drink.”
- It means “I have to drink.”
There’s no subject in the sentence. How do I know who’s doing the action?
Japanese frequently omits the subject when context is clear. Here, the speaker is implied: “I.”
Full sense: “I have to drink coffee before going to work.”
How can I express this idea more politely or formally?
Use the formal obligation form ～なければなりません.
For example:
仕事に行く前にコーヒーを飲まなければなりません。
= “I must drink coffee before going to work.”