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mensetu no mae ni arubaito no setumeisyo wo yoku yomimasu.

面接めんせつ　の　前まえ　に　アルバイト　の　説明書せつめいしょ　を　よく　読よみます。mensetu no mae ni arubaito no setumeisyo wo yoku yomimasu.
Before the interview, I carefully read the part-time job's information sheet.
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Questions & Answers about mensetu no mae ni arubaito no setumeisyo wo yoku yomimasu.

What does の mean in 面接の前 and アルバイトの説明書?

の connects two nouns. It’s similar to English ’s or of, or sometimes just turns the first noun into an adjective-like modifier.

  • 面接の前

    • Literally: “the before of the interview”
    • Natural English: “before the interview” / “the time before the interview”

  • アルバイトの説明書

    • Literally: “the manual of the part-time job”
    • Natural English: “instruction manual/job description for the part-time job”

Pattern:
Noun A + の + Noun B → “Noun B of/for Noun A”
Examples:

  • 日本の会社 = company in Japan / Japanese company
  • 学生の本 = a student’s book / book for students
Why do we say 前に and not just 前? What does に do here?

前 (まえ) is a noun meaning “before” or “front.”
To say “before [doing something]” as a time expression, Japanese usually adds に after that noun.

  • 面接の前 = “the time before the interview” (just a noun phrase)
  • 面接の前に = “before the interview” (a time expression that modifies 読みます)

Here, に marks the point in time when the action happens:

  • ７時に 起きます。 = I get up at 7 o’clock.
  • 食事の前に 手を洗います。 = I wash my hands before meals.

So 前に is “at the time before (something).”

Why is there no “I” in the sentence?

Japanese often leaves out the subject (like “I,” “you,” “we”) when it’s clear from context.

  • 面接の前にアルバイトの説明書をよく読みます。
    Literally: “Before the interview, (I) read the part-time job manual carefully.”

Who is doing the reading?

  • In an interview/job context, it’s naturally the speaker → “I.”
  • But depending on the conversation, it could also mean “you,” “we,” etc.

Japanese relies heavily on context instead of repeating pronouns. You only say 私 (I), あなた (you), etc., when you really need to make it explicit.

What exactly does よく mean here?

よく can mean:

  1. Often / frequently

    • よく映画を見ます。 = I often watch movies.

  2. Well / carefully / thoroughly

    • 日本語がよく分かります。 = I understand Japanese well.
    • 説明書をよく読みます。 = I read the manual carefully/thoroughly.

In this sentence, both readings are possible:

  • “I often read the part-time job manual before the interview.” (habit)
  • “I will read the part-time job manual carefully before the interview.” (one occasion, thoroughly)

Context (especially “before the interview”) usually makes “carefully / thoroughly” the more natural nuance.

Why is 読みます in the present tense if the meaning is future (“will read”)?

Polite ～ます non-past form (読みます) covers both:

  • habitual/present: “I read / I usually read”
  • future: “I will read”

Japanese does not have a separate future tense. Context decides:

  • 毎日新聞を読みます。 = I read the newspaper every day.
  • あとで本を読みます。 = I will read the book later.

With 面接の前に (“before the interview”), it’s clearly talking about a future action:
→ “I will read the part-time job manual carefully before the interview.”

What is 説明書 and how is it different from 説明?

  • 説明 (せつめい) = explanation (the act or the content of explaining)

    • 説明します。 = I explain / will explain.
    • 説明を聞きます。 = I listen to an explanation.

  • 説明書 (せつめいしょ) = written explanation, manual, instruction booklet

    • 取扱説明書 = user manual
    • 説明書を読みます。 = I read the manual/instructions.

The suffix ～書 (しょ) literally means “written document.”
So アルバイトの説明書 is specifically a written document about the part-time job (manual, job description, instructions), not just a spoken explanation.

Why is を used with 説明書? Can を be omitted?

を marks the direct object of the verb – the thing the action is done to.

  • 説明書 = the thing being read
  • 読みます = read
  • 説明書を読みます。 = (I) read the manual.

So を shows that 説明書 is what is being read.

Omission:

  • In casual spoken Japanese, を is sometimes dropped, especially after certain verbs and when the meaning is obvious:
    • 本(を)読む。

  • But in polite, correct Japanese, especially in writing or formal speech, you should keep を:

    • 説明書をよく読みます。 ✅ (natural and correct)
    • 説明書よく読みます。 sounds more casual / conversational.
Can よく go in another position in the sentence?

Yes, adverbs like よく are somewhat flexible, as long as the meaning stays clear. Common patterns:

  • 面接の前に アルバイトの説明書を よく 読みます。 (original; most natural)
  • 面接の前に よく アルバイトの説明書を 読みます。
  • アルバイトの説明書を 面接の前に よく 読みます。

All can work. The default is to put よく right before the verb phrase (読みます), often after the object. Moving よく earlier can slightly change the emphasis, but the basic meaning stays the same.

How would you say “after the interview” instead of “before the interview”?

Use 後 (あと) instead of 前 (まえ):

  • 面接の後に アルバイトの説明書をよく読みます。
    = I will read the part-time job manual carefully after the interview.

You’ll often see both:

  • 面接の後に
  • 面接の後で

Rough difference:

  • 後に – more like a specific time point (“at a time after ~”), a bit more formal.
  • 後で – “afterwards / later,” more general and colloquial.

Both are fine in everyday conversation.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move parts of the sentence around?

Word order in Japanese is somewhat flexible because particles (が, を, に, の, で, etc.) show each word’s role.

All of these are grammatical and natural:

  • 面接の前に アルバイトの説明書を よく 読みます。
  • アルバイトの説明書を 面接の前に よく 読みます。
  • 面接の前に よく アルバイトの説明書を 読みます。

As a rule:

  • The verb (読みます) comes at the end.
  • Other pieces (time, object, adverbs) can move around, but the most neutral and easy-to-process order is:
    • [Time] + [Object] + [Adverb] + [Verb]
    • → 面接の前に アルバイトの説明書を よく 読みます。