undou no mae ni sutoretti wo suru to, karada ga raku ni narimasu.

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Questions & Answers about undou no mae ni sutoretti wo suru to, karada ga raku ni narimasu.

In 運動の前に, what is the role of ? Could you also say 運動前に?

here links two nouns: 運動 (exercise) and (before), making a phrase that literally means “the time before exercise.”

Pattern: Noun + の + Noun → “Noun2 that is related to Noun1”
So 運動の前 = “the before of exercise” → “before exercise.”

You can also say 運動前に. That form (noun + 前) feels a bit more compact/technical and is common in written language, schedules, sports/medical instructions, etc.

  • 運動の前に – neutral, everyday, very common in conversation and writing
  • 運動前に – a bit more clipped/technical, but still natural

Both are correct; 運動の前に is safer for learners to copy in normal speech.

Why do we need after in 運動の前に?

marks the time point when the action happens.

  • 運動の前 by itself is just a noun phrase: “the time before exercise.”
  • Adding 運動の前に = “at the time before exercise” → “before exercising.”

So in the sentence:

  • 運動の前に = “before exercise (at that time), … [I] stretch.”

With many time expressions, you often see (e.g. 3時に, 日曜日に). With some very common ones like 今日, 明日, can be dropped, but with more complex time phrases like X の前 / X の後, is normally used.

Why is it ストレッチをする and not just ストレッチ? And can I say ストレッチする without ?

ストレッチ is a noun borrowed from English “stretch.”
Japanese often turns such nouns into verbs using する:

  • 勉強をする – to study
  • 運動をする – to exercise
  • ストレッチをする – to do stretching

So ストレッチをする literally means “to do stretching.”

About dropping :

  • ストレッチをする
  • ストレッチする

Both are natural. With many Noun + する verbs, is optional in everyday speech. ストレッチをする can sound a bit more careful or explicit; ストレッチする is slightly more casual, but both are fine here.

What does mean in ストレッチをすると? Is it the same as in quotes (“he said that…”)?

Here is not a quotation marker. It’s a conditional connector.

Pattern: [Plain form clause] + と、[result]
Meaning: “When / whenever / if [A happens], [B naturally happens].”

So:

  • ストレッチをする と、体が楽になります。
    → “When / if you stretch, your body becomes more comfortable / feels easier.

This is used especially for automatic / natural results, not for deliberate, one-time choices by the speaker (for that, 〜たら / 〜ば / 〜なら are more common).

Why is it する (plain form) in ストレッチをする と and not します?

In Japanese, verbs inside a conditional clause with と are usually in the plain (dictionary) form, even if the main sentence is polite.

Structure here:

  • Clause 1 (plain): ストレッチをする と
  • Clause 2 (polite): 体が楽になります。

This mixture is normal: subordinate clauses (like time/conditional clauses) are very often plain, while the main clause carries the politeness.

You can see しますと in certain very formal or written styles (announcements, manuals), but for general, neutral Japanese describing a general rule, ストレッチをすると is the standard.

What does 楽に mean here? How is it different from and from 楽しい?

In this sentence:

  • 楽(らく) is a な-adjective / noun meaning “comfortable, easy, not a burden, relieved.”
  • 楽に is that adjective in an adverb-like / resultative form, used with なる.

So 体が楽に なります means:

  • “Your body becomes comfortable / feels at ease / feels less strained.”

Difference:

  1. 楽(らく)

    • Meaning: ease, comfort, being free from pain/effort/strain
    • Examples:
      • 楽な姿勢 – a comfortable posture
      • 仕事が楽だ – the job is easy / not demanding
      • 体が楽だ / 楽になる – the body feels easy/relieved
  2. 楽しい(たのしい)

    • A different word (い-adjective) meaning “fun, enjoyable, pleasant (emotionally)”.
    • Examples:
      • 楽しいゲーム – a fun game
    • You cannot say 体が楽しい to mean “my body feels better.” That is wrong.

So here 楽に is “into an easy/comfortable state,” and 楽になります is “(it) becomes easy/comfortable.”

Why is it 体が and not 体は?

The pattern X が Y になる is the basic way to say “X becomes Y.”

  • 体 が 楽に なります。
    → “The body becomes comfortable / feels better.”

Here marks the thing that undergoes the change.

If you used :

  • 体は楽になります。

This would usually introduce contrast or emphasis: “As for your body, it becomes comfortable (but maybe something else doesn’t).” Without a contrasty context, 体が楽になります is the most natural, neutral choice.

Why do we say 楽になります instead of just 楽です?
  • 楽です states a current state: “(It) is comfortable / easy.”
  • 楽になります expresses a change of state: “(It) becomes / will become comfortable.”

In this sentence, the idea is:

  • “If you stretch before exercising, your body goes from not-so-comfortable → to comfortable.”

That change is exactly what 〜になる expresses.

So:

  • 体が楽です。 – “My body is (now) comfortable / I feel fine.”
  • 体が楽になります。 – “My body becomes comfortable / will feel better (as a result of something).”

Japanese often uses the present tense for general results like this, so 楽になります also covers “will become comfortable” in a generic, habitual way.

Can I replace 〜すると with 〜したら? What is the difference between and たら here?

You can say:

  • 運動の前にストレッチをしたら、体が楽になります。

It’s grammatically fine.
Nuance:

  • 〜すると:

    • Often used for general truths, habits, and automatic results.
    • Gives a “whenever A happens, B naturally follows” feeling.
    • Good for rules, general advice, scientific/medical facts, etc.
    • That’s why it fits well here: Whenever you stretch before exercising, your body (naturally) feels better.
  • 〜たら:

    • Often used for one-time conditions, sequential events, and personal plans.
    • Feels more like “if / when (on this occasion) you do A, then B will happen.”

In many everyday contexts they overlap, but sounds more like a general rule, which matches this health-advice type sentence very well.

Can I change the word order in this sentence, like moving 運動の前に or the 〜すると clause?

Some movement is possible; some isn’t natural.

  1. Moving 運動の前に (time phrase):
    • 運動の前にストレッチをすると、体が楽になります。
    • ストレッチをする前に運動をすると、体が楽になります。 ← different meaning (“If you exercise before stretching…”)
    • ストレッチをすると、運動の前に体が楽になります。 – grammatically possible, but the meaning becomes odd or unclear.

Normally you keep 運動の前に right before the action it modifies (ストレッチをする), as in the original.

  1. Reversing the と-clause and the result clause:
    • 体が楽になりますと、運動の前にストレッチをします。 – grammatically possible but sounds stiff, formal, and the logic is reversed (“When your body becomes comfortable, you stretch before exercise”), which isn’t the intended meaning.

With A と B, the A-clause almost always comes first and expresses the condition; B is the result. So the original word order:

  • 運動の前にストレッチをすると、体が楽になります。

is the natural and recommended one.