neru mae ni, megane o makura no chikaku ni okimasu.

Because 前 means before, and when a verb comes before 前, Japanese uses the dictionary form of the verb.

• 寝る前に = before sleeping / before going to bed

This is a very common pattern:

• 食べる前に = before eating
• 行く前に = before going
• 寝る前に = before sleeping

By contrast, with 後 (after), Japanese often uses the た-form:

• 食べた後で = after eating
• 寝た後で = after sleeping

So 寝る前に is the normal grammar.

前 literally means front or before. In this sentence, it means before in a time sense.

So:

• 寝る前 = the time before sleeping
• 寝る前に = before sleeping / before going to bed

This is different from its physical meaning in phrases like:

• 家の前 = in front of the house

Japanese often uses the same word for both physical and time-related before.

The に after 寝る前 marks a time point when the main action happens.

So:

• 寝る前に、置きます = I put it down before sleeping

This に is common with specific times or time expressions when something happens.

Here it connects the time phrase to the action:

• before going to bed, I place my glasses near the pillow.

They do different jobs.

1. 寝る前に

   • this に marks the time of the action
   • before sleeping

2. 枕の近くに

   • this に marks the location/destination of placement
   • near the pillow

So the sentence has:

• when? → 寝る前に
• where? → 枕の近くに

This is completely normal in Japanese.

Because 眼鏡 is the direct object of 置きます.

• 眼鏡を置きます = place the glasses

The thing being placed gets を.

So the structure is:

• 眼鏡を = the glasses
• 枕の近くに = near the pillow
• 置きます = put/place

Because 近く here is being used as a noun meaning nearby area / vicinity.

So:

• 枕の近く = the area near the pillow
• literally, the pillow's vicinity

The の links 枕 and 近く, just like:

• 学校の前 = in front of the school
• 駅の近く = near the station

Then に marks that place as the location where the glasses are put:

• 枕の近くに置きます = put them near the pillow

So 枕に近く would not work here for expressing near the pillow as a location of placement.

Here, 近く is functioning as a noun.

That is why it can take:

• の before it: 枕の近く
• に after it: 枕の近くに

This is a very common pattern.

Related forms:

• 近い = close, near (adjective)
• 近く = nearby area / vicinity (noun)
• 近くで = nearby (as a location phrase)
• 近くに = to/at a nearby place

In this sentence, the noun use is the important one.

置きます means to put, to place, or to set something down.

It is used when someone deliberately places an object somewhere.

So:

• 眼鏡を枕の近くに置きます = I place my glasses near the pillow

This is more natural than verbs like:

• あります = to exist/be located
• 入れます = to put in/insert

Because the action here is specifically placing the glasses somewhere.

In Japanese, 眼鏡 usually means glasses as an item, often equivalent to a pair of glasses in English.

Japanese usually does not force you to mark singular vs. plural the way English does.

So 眼鏡 here most naturally means:

• my glasses
• a pair of glasses

The exact number is understood from context.

Japanese often leaves out the subject when it is clear from context.

So this sentence does not explicitly say:

• I
• she
• he

But in many learning contexts, it will be understood as:

• I put my glasses near the pillow before going to bed

This omission is very normal in Japanese. If needed, the speaker could say:

• 私は寝る前に、眼鏡を枕の近くに置きます。

But very often 私は is unnecessary.

Because Japanese often omits the topic if it is already understood.

If you wanted to make the topic explicit, you could say:

• 私は寝る前に、眼鏡を枕の近くに置きます。

But if the conversation is already about what I do before bed, then leaving out 私は sounds natural.

Japanese frequently drops information that English usually keeps.

Yes. 置きます is the polite non-past form.

• dictionary form: 置く
• polite form: 置きます

This can mean:

• I place
• I will place
• I usually place

depending on context.

In a plain style sentence, it would be:

• 寝る前に、眼鏡を枕の近くに置く。

Yes, this is a word learners often ask about.

眼鏡 is read めがね, and this reading is not very transparent from the individual kanji. It is essentially a fixed vocabulary item that you learn as a whole word.

So it is best to memorize:

• 眼鏡 = めがね = glasses

In everyday Japanese, you will also often see it written in kana as:

• メガネ
• めがね

So do not worry if the kanji reading feels irregular.

No. The spaces are usually just for learners.

Normal Japanese would usually be written like this:

• 寝る前に、眼鏡を枕の近くに置きます。

Japanese normally does not put spaces between words the way English does.

The comma 、 is normal, though. It helps separate the opening time phrase from the rest of the sentence.

Yes.

Because 置きます is a non-past form, it can mean different things depending on context:

• I put my glasses near the pillow before going to bed
• I usually put my glasses near the pillow before going to bed
• I will put my glasses near the pillow before going to bed

Without more context, it can describe either:

• a general habit, or
• a present/future action

That flexibility is normal in Japanese non-past verbs.