Breakdown of pasupooto no namae ga tadasii ka kakuninsite oku hou ga ii.
かka
question particle
がga
subject particle
いいii
good
のno
possessive case particle
ほうhou
side
確認するkakuninsuru
to check
〜て おく〜te oku
to do something in advance
パスポートpasupooto
passport
名前namae
name
正しいtadasii
correct
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Questions & Answers about pasupooto no namae ga tadasii ka kakuninsite oku hou ga ii.
What does the ～ておく pattern mean in 確認しておく?
The construction ～ておく (te-form + おく) means “to do something in advance” or “to do something and leave it in that state for later.”
- 確認しておく literally means “check (it) ahead of time” or “make sure to check (it) beforehand.”
- It emphasizes preparing or completing the action before it’s actually needed.
Why is か used after 正しい? Could we also use かどうか?
Here, か marks an embedded question (“whether the name is correct”). You’re not asking directly but confirming the fact.
- 名前が正しいか確認する = “confirm whether the name is correct.”
- You can indeed use かどうか:
- 名前が正しいかどうか確認する
- It’s more explicit, but with simple predicates like 正しい, dropping どう is very common.
What does 方がいい mean in this context?
方がいい (ほうがいい) is used to give advice or a recommendation.
- ～したほうがいい = “it’s better to do ~” / “you should ~.”
- So 確認しておくほうがいい means “it’s better to check in advance” or “you should make sure to check.”
Why is ほう written in hiragana? Can we write it in kanji as 方?
Both are possible:
- 確認しておく方がいい uses the kanji 方.
- In everyday writing, ほうがいい in hiragana is very common and looks more casual/readable.
Why is there no object marker を before 確認 in this sentence? Would ～かを確認する also be correct?
Both patterns exist:
- XがYか確認する (no を)
- XがYかを確認する (with を)
Japanese often allows dropping を before a noun clause when it’s clear. Both are grammatically correct, though the version without を is very common in speech and writing.
Who is the implied subject of this sentence?
Japanese often omits the subject when context makes it clear. Here, you’re giving advice to someone (often “you” or “we”). So the implied subject is the listener or speaker-group:
- “(You) should confirm in advance whether the name on your passport is correct.”
How would I make this sentence more casual? Can I say 確認しとく instead of 確認しておく?
Yes. In casual speech, ～ておく often contracts to ～とく. For example:
- パスポートの名前が正しいか確認しとくほうがいい。
Just be aware this is informal.
Is there any difference between 確認しておくほうがいい and 確認しておいたほうがいい?
Both give advice, but the nuance differs slightly:
- 確認しておくほうがいい focuses on the action as a recommendation/planned step.
- 確認しておいたほうがいい uses the past tense おいた, making the advice feel a bit stronger or more like “you’d be better off having already checked.”
In most contexts they’re interchangeable for giving advice to check in advance.