Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha kaigi no mae ni deeta wo meeru de okurimasu. - I send the data by email before the meeting.

You’re contrasting people: 私は送りますが、田中さんは送りません。
“I will send it, but Tanaka won’t.”
It’s the first time you mention yourself in that conversation and you want to be explicit.

What exactly does the particle は do here? Why not が?

は after 私 marks topic, not grammatical subject in the strict sense. It sets the “frame” of the sentence: “As for me…”

If you said 私が会議の前にデータをメールで送ります, with が, it highlights 私 as the one who performs the action, often with a sense of contrast or focus:

私が送ります。 – I will send it (not someone else).

In this neutral sentence where you’re just saying what you (the speaker) do, 私は is the most natural. が would sound like you’re stressing you in particular as the sender.

What does 会議の前に literally mean? How do の and に work here?

Breakdown:

会議 – meeting
前 – front / before
会議の前 – “the before of the meeting” → “the time before the meeting”
会議の前に – “at / by the time that is before the meeting”

Particles:

の links two nouns: 会議
- 前 → “before-the-meeting (time)”.
に marks a point in time: “at (that time)”.

So 会議の前に means “before the meeting (at some time before it starts).”

Why is it 前に and not 前で?

に and で do different jobs:

前に: に here marks a time point:
- 会議の前に – before the meeting (time)
- ３時に – at 3 o’clock
前で: で after 前 would usually mark a place:
- 駅の前で待ちます。 – “I’ll wait in front of the station.”

In your sentence, 前 refers to time, not a physical place, so you use に, not で.

What does the particle を do in データを?

を marks the direct object of the verb — the thing that is acted upon.

データ – data
データを – “the data” (as the thing being sent)

In the sentence:

データを送ります。 – “(I) will send the data.”

So を answers the question “What is being sent?”

Why is it メールで送ります and not メールを送ります?

This is a key pattern:

X を送ります – “send X” (X is what you send)
Y で送ります – “send (it) by / via Y” (Y is the means / method)

So:

データをメールで送ります。
- データを – data (object)
- メールで – by email (method)
  → “I will send the data by email.”

If you say:

メールを送ります。 – “I will send (an) email.” (Here メール itself is what you send.)

Both are correct, but they mean different things:

データをメールで送ります。→ The data is sent, and email is the method.
メールを送ります。→ The email itself is what you send (maybe the content is implied).

What does the particle で mean in メールで?

In this context, で marks the means or method used to do an action:

バスで行きます。 – I’ll go by bus.
日本語で話します。 – I speak in Japanese.
メールで送ります。 – I send it by email.

So メールで = “by email / via email / using email”.

Can I change the word order, like 会議の前に私はデータをメールで送ります? Is that still correct?

Yes, it’s still correct. Japanese word order is flexible as long as:

Particles stay attached to the right words.
The verb stays at the end.

All of these are fine:

私は会議の前にデータをメールで送ります。
会議の前に私はデータをメールで送ります。
データを私は会議の前にメールで送ります。

They all mean essentially the same thing, but the nuance of what you’re focusing on can change slightly depending on the order. The most “neutral” and textbook-like is the original: topic (私は) → time (会議の前に) → object (データを) → means (メールで) → verb (送ります).

Does 送ります mean “send” or “will send”? How is tense expressed here?

送ります is the polite non-past form. In Japanese, this one form covers both:

habitual / general action: “(I) send”
future action: “(I) will send”

Context decides which it is:

毎日データを送ります。– “I send the data every day.” (habit)
明日データを送ります。– “I will send the data tomorrow.” (future)

In your sentence, because it’s about before the meeting, it’s usually understood as future: “I will send the data by email before the meeting.”

What’s the difference between 送ります, 送りました, and 送っています?

All are polite (-ます) forms of 送る (to send), but with different time/aspect:

送ります – non-past (present/future)
- 明日送ります。– I’ll send it tomorrow.
送りました – past (action finished)
- もう送りました。– I already sent it.
送っています – “be sending” / “(have sent and it’s in that state)” depending on context
- 今、メールで送っています。– I’m sending it by email now.
- 彼にはいつもデータを送っています。– I send him data regularly. (ongoing habit)

For your original meaning (a planned future action), 送ります is the right one.

How polite is this sentence? Is 送ります formal?

Yes, 送ります is the polite form (ます-form). The sentence is in standard polite Japanese, suitable for:

talking to clients
speaking with your boss
any neutral formal situation

More levels:

Plain / casual: 送る
- 会議の前にデータをメールで送る。 (to friends, colleagues you’re close to)
Polite: 送ります
- 私は会議の前にデータをメールで送ります。
Extra-formal / humble, etc. (depending on context) could use other verbs or honorifics, but 送ります is already perfectly polite for everyday business.

Why is は pronounced “wa” instead of “ha” in 私は?

Japanese spelling uses kana historically, and は is normally pronounced “ha” as a sound.
However, when は is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced “wa”.

So:

As part of a word: はな → hana (flower)
As the topic marker: 私
- は → watashi wa, though it’s written は.

It’s a spelling convention you just have to memorize:

は (particle) → pronounced wa
へ (particle) → pronounced e
を (particle) → pronounced roughly o (wo/o)

Could I say 会議前にデータをメールで送ります without の? Is that correct?

Yes, 会議前に without の is also used, especially in more compact or written styles:

会議の前にデータをメールで送ります。 (more neutral, a bit clearer for learners)
会議前にデータをメールで送ります。 (slightly more concise, often in writing, notes, titles)

They mean essentially the same thing: “before the meeting, I will send the data by email.”

Is it possible to say this more simply, like using メールします instead of データをメールで送ります?

Yes, in casual or brief speech people might simplify:

会議の前にメールします。
“I’ll email (you) before the meeting.”

This doesn’t specifically mention データ, just that you’ll send an email. If context makes it obvious that the email will contain the data, this is fine.

If you want to keep the mention of “data” but be a bit shorter, you could say:

会議の前にデータをメールします。

This is used by some speakers and is understandable, but grammatically more “textbook correct” is:

会議の前にデータをメールで送ります。

because it clearly marks:

データを – what is sent
メールで – by what means
送ります – send