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danbou wo tukeru mae ni ondo wo kakuninsimasita.

暖房だんぼう　を　つける　前まえ　に　温度おんど　を　確認かくにんしました。danbou wo tukeru mae ni ondo wo kakuninsimasita.
I checked the temperature before turning on the heater.
FromLesson 18inHardcore Japanese
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Questions & Answers about danbou wo tukeru mae ni ondo wo kakuninsimasita.

How do you pronounce this sentence and what are the readings of the kanji?

It’s pronounced: danbō o tsukeru mae ni ondo o kakunin shimashita.
Readings:
暖房 (だんぼう) = heater
を (particle)
つける (付ける) = to turn on
前に (まえに) = before
温度 (おんど) = temperature
を (particle)
確認しました (かくにんしました) = checked/confirmed (past tense)

What does 暖房をつける前に mean, and why is 前に used here?

暖房をつける前に literally means “before turning on the heater.”
The pattern is [verb dictionary form] + 前に, which marks that the action in the main clause happens after the verb in the preceding clause. Here, you do the temperature check after the “before” action, so “before turning on the heater.”

Why is を used with both 暖房 and 温度? How does を function in each case?

を marks the direct object of a transitive verb.
• 暖房をつける – “to turn on the heater,” 暖房 is what you turn on.
• 温度を確認する – “to check the temperature,” 温度 is what you check.

Why is there no subject in this sentence? Who performed the action?
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context. Here, it’s understood that the speaker (“I” or “we”) did the checking. In English you’d say “I checked,” but in Japanese the subject is dropped.
Why is 確認しました in the past tense? Could you use the non-past instead?
Using the past tense (～しました) indicates you completed the action. If you’re describing what you did, past is natural. If you want to express habit or future/policy, you could say 確認します (“I’ll check” or “I always check”).
What’s the nuance difference between 確認する and the loanword チェックする?
確認する is native Japanese, somewhat more formal or neutral, used for verifying, confirming, making sure. チェックする is casual, borrowed from English, often used in everyday speech for “to check” or “to look over.”
Can the clauses be reversed, as in 温度を確認した前に暖房をつける?
No. In Japanese, the subordinate clause with 前に must precede the main clause. So [A前に] B means “Do B after A,” and you cannot swap their order without changing meaning or making it ungrammatical.

More from this lesson

reibouondosagerutosyokan de ha koe wo sagete kudasai.reibou no ondo wo sagemasu.danboukankyoudanbou wo tukaisugiru to, kankyou ni warui desu.
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“How do verb conjugations work in Japanese?”
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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