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kaisatu wo tooru mae ni yoyakukin wo harau hituyou ha arimasen.

改札かいさつ　を　通とおる　前まえ　に　予約金よやくきん　を　払はらう　必要ひつよう　は　ありません。kaisatu wo tooru mae ni yoyakukin wo harau hituyou ha arimasen.
You don’t need to pay a deposit before passing through the ticket gate.
FromLesson 15inHardcore Japanese
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Questions & Answers about kaisatu wo tooru mae ni yoyakukin wo harau hituyou ha arimasen.

Why is を used after 改札 with 通る, when 通る is usually intransitive?
In Japanese, some intransitive verbs that describe movement through or across a space still take を to mark the path or space being traversed. Examples include 通る (to go through), 走る (to run), 横切る (to cross). Here, 改札を通る literally means “to pass through the ticket gate.”
How does the phrase 通る前に work? Why is 前 placed after 通る rather than after 改札?

The pattern [Verb-plain form] + 前に means “before doing [verb].” You attach 前に directly to the verb that describes the action you want to refer to.
• 改札を通る前に = “before passing through the ticket gate.”
If you instead said 改札の前に, that would mean “in front of the ticket gate” (i.e. the location).

What is the structure of 払う必要はありません, and how does it link back to 通る前に?

払う必要はありません literally breaks down as:

  1. 払う – verb in dictionary form (“to pay”)
  2. 必要 – noun meaning “need” or “necessity”
  3. はありません – negative polite form of “to exist” (here: “there is no …”)

Together, 払う必要はありません means “there is no need to pay.” Because it follows 通る前に, the full sentence reads:
“Before passing through the ticket gate, there is no need to pay the reservation deposit.”

Why do we use はありません instead of がない with 必要?

Both 必要がない and 必要はない/ありません mean “there is no need.” The choice of は vs. が affects nuance:

  • 必要がない – more neutral: “there is no necessity.”
  • 必要はない – slightly stronger or contrastive: “as for a necessity, there isn’t one.”

In polite writing or announcements, 必要はありません is very common.

Why is there a second を before 払う, after 予約金?

Just like any transitive verb, 払う (to pay) takes を to mark its object. Here:
• 予約金を払う – “to pay the reservation deposit.”

Why is the subject omitted in this sentence? Who is the implied subject?
Japanese often drops subjects when they’re clear from context. This sentence might appear on a ticketing website or sign, so the implied subject is the passenger or customer. In English, you’d supply “you”: “You don’t need to pay the deposit before passing through the gate.”
Could we say 払わなくてもいい instead of 払う必要はありません?
Yes. 払わなくてもいい (“you don’t have to pay”) is a more casual way to express “no need to pay.” In polite or formal contexts, 払う必要はありません sounds more appropriate.

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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".

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