Breakdown of zenbu ga owattara, hayame ni nemasu.
Questions & Answers about zenbu ga owattara, hayame ni nemasu.
What does 終わったら mean here?
終わったら is the た-form of 終わる plus ら, which makes a conditional/time clause.
- 終わる = to end, to be finished
- 終わった = ended / finished
- 終わったら = when it’s finished, once it’s done, or if it finishes
In this sentence, it means:
- Once everything is finished, ...
- When everything is done, ...
So the first part 全部が終わったら sets up the timing for the main action 寝ます.
Why is 終わったら in the past form if the sentence is talking about the future?
This is a very common point of confusion.
In Japanese, たら uses the past form before it, but that does not necessarily mean actual past time. Here, it shows that one action is completed before the next action happens.
So:
- 全部が終わったら = after everything has finished / once everything is done
- 寝ます = I’ll go to bed
The past form in 終わったら is really about completion, not about saying the event already happened.
Why is the particle が used after 全部?
Because 終わる is an intransitive verb.
- 終わる = something ends / is finished
- It does not directly take an object with を
So 全部が終わる means:
- everything finishes
- everything is done
Here, 全部 is the thing that reaches the state of being finished, so it is marked with が.
Compare:
- 全部が終わる = everything is finished
- 全部を終える = to finish everything
The second one uses the transitive verb 終える, so it takes を.
Could this also be said without が, as 全部終わったら?
Yes. 全部終わったら is also very natural in everyday Japanese.
The version with が sounds a bit more explicitly structured:
- 全部が終わったら = once everything is finished
The version without が is often more casual and conversational:
- 全部終わったら = once everything’s done
Both are natural. Learners will hear both.
What exactly does 全部 mean here?
全部 means all, everything, or the whole thing.
In this sentence, it refers to everything that needs to be done, based on context. For example:
- homework
- work
- chores
- tasks in general
Japanese often leaves the exact noun unstated when it is already understood. So 全部 by itself can mean:
- everything
- all of it
- all my tasks, depending on context
What does 早め mean? Is it the same as 早く?
Not exactly.
早め means somewhat early or earlier than usual. It has a softer nuance than 早く.
- 早く寝ます = I’ll go to bed early
- 早めに寝ます = I’ll go to bed a little earlier than usual / on the early side
So 早め often suggests:
- not extremely early
- just earlier than normal
- giving yourself extra time
It comes from 早い plus め, a suffix that often means -ish, somewhat, or on the ... side.
Why is there a に after 早め?
Because 早め is being used adverbially to describe how the speaker will sleep/go to bed.
- 早めに寝ます = go to bed on the early side
With words like 早め, 多め, 少なめ, Japanese often uses に to turn them into adverb-like expressions.
Examples:
- 早めに行く = go a little early
- 多めに入れる = put in a little extra
- 少なめにする = make it a little less
So に is what lets 早め modify the verb 寝ます.
Why is it 寝ます and not 寝る?
寝ます is simply the polite form of 寝る.
- 寝る = plain form
- 寝ます = polite form
Both can refer to the future in Japanese.
So:
- 全部が終わったら、早めに寝る。 = casual
- 全部が終わったら、早めに寝ます。 = polite
Japanese non-past forms often cover both:
- habitual actions
- future actions
Here, 寝ます means I’ll go to bed.
What is the difference between 終わる and 終える in this kind of sentence?
This is a useful distinction.
- 終わる = to end, to be finished
- intransitive
- 終える = to finish something
- transitive
So:
- 全部が終わったら = once everything is finished
- 全部を終えたら = once I finish everything
The first version focuses on the state of everything being done.
The second version focuses more directly on the person completing the tasks.
Both can be natural, but they feel slightly different in perspective.
Why is たら used here instead of と, ば, or なら?
たら is very natural here because it expresses:
- when/once something is completed
- a sequence leading to the speaker’s next action
- a personal plan or intention
So 全部が終わったら、早めに寝ます means:
- Once everything is done, I’ll go to bed early
Compared with the others:
- と often sounds more automatic or general
- 春になると暖かくなる = When spring comes, it gets warm
- ば can sound more formal or conditional
- possible, but less conversational here
- なら means more like if that’s the case or if it is true that...
For a simple “after X, I’ll do Y” sentence, たら is one of the most natural choices.
Is the comma necessary in 全部が終わったら、早めに寝ます。?
No, it is not strictly necessary, but it is very common and helpful.
The comma separates:
- the condition/time clause: 全部が終わったら
- the main statement: 早めに寝ます
So it makes the sentence easier to read:
- 全部が終わったら、早めに寝ます。
Without the comma, it is still understandable:
- 全部が終わったら早めに寝ます。
Both are fine. The comma just improves readability.
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