Breakdown of mendan no mae ni, zikosyoukai no rensyuu wo simasu.
Questions & Answers about mendan no mae ni, zikosyoukai no rensyuu wo simasu.
How is this sentence read out loud?
What does の前に mean here?
の前に means before.
Structure:
- X の 前 に = before X
So:
- 面談の前に = before the interview / before the meeting
Here, 前 is a noun meaning front or before, and に marks the time point.
Examples:
- 授業の前に = before class
- 寝る前に = before sleeping
Why is there a に after 前?
The に marks the time at which something happens relative to something else.
In 面談の前に:
- 面談 = interview, meeting
- の links it to 前
- 前 = before
- に marks that whole phrase as a time expression
So the sentence is saying that the action します happens at the time before the interview.
This is very common:
- 食事の前に、手を洗います。
- テストの前に、勉強します。
Why is there a の in 面談の前に?
The の connects two nouns.
Here:
- 面談 is a noun
- 前 is also a noun
So 面談の前 literally means something like the before of the interview, which in natural English becomes before the interview.
This same の pattern is extremely common in Japanese:
- 学校の先生 = the school’s teacher / teacher at school
- 日本の文化 = Japanese culture
- 会議の後 = after the meeting
What does 自己紹介の練習 mean literally?
Literally, it means practice of self-introduction.
Breakdown:
- 自己紹介 = self-introduction
- の = links the two nouns
- 練習 = practice
So:
- 自己紹介の練習 = self-introduction practice
- more natural English: practice introducing yourself or practice a self-introduction
This noun + の + noun pattern often shows what kind of practice it is:
- 会話の練習 = conversation practice
- 発音の練習 = pronunciation practice
- 漢字の練習 = kanji practice
Why is it 練習をします instead of just 練習します?
Both are possible.
- 練習をします is a very standard, clear structure: do practice
- 練習します is also natural, because 練習 can function like a verbal noun with する
In this sentence, 自己紹介の練習 is treated as the object:
- 自己紹介の練習をします = do self-introduction practice
This is especially natural when the practice has a modifier in front of it.
Compare:
- 毎日、練習します。 = I practice every day.
- 発表の練習をします。 = I practice my presentation.
Why is the topic, like 私は, missing?
Japanese often leaves out the subject or topic when it is understood from context.
So even though English often needs something like I, we, or they, Japanese often does not say it if it is obvious.
This sentence could imply:
- I will practice self-introductions before the interview
- We will practice self-introductions before the interview
The exact subject depends on context.
This omission is very normal in Japanese and one of the first things English speakers have to get used to.
Does 面談 specifically mean a job interview?
Not always.
面談 usually means a meeting, interview, or face-to-face discussion, often in a formal setting.
It can be used for:
- a school meeting with a teacher
- a counseling session
- a formal discussion
- sometimes an interview
So whether it means interview or meeting depends on context.
It is a bit broader than just a job interview.
Why does the time phrase come first in the sentence?
Japanese often puts time expressions near the beginning of the sentence.
So this order is very natural:
- 面談の前に、自己紹介の練習をします。
A rough structure is:
- [time] + [object] + [verb]
This is one of the most common Japanese sentence patterns.
You can think of it as:
That is not natural English, but it helps show the Japanese order.
Could this sentence mean practice someone else’s self-introduction, not necessarily my self-introduction?
Yes, technically 自己紹介 just means self-introduction as a type of thing, not automatically my self-introduction.
So 自己紹介の練習 means:
- practice of self-introductions
- practice for introducing oneself
In many real contexts, English would naturally translate it as:
- practice my self-introduction
- practice introducing myself
But the Japanese itself does not explicitly say my.
Context decides that.
Is the comma important here?
The comma after 面談の前に is helpful, but not grammatically essential.
It separates the time phrase from the main part of the sentence:
- 面談の前に、自己紹介の練習をします。
Without the comma, the sentence is still correct:
- 面談の前に自己紹介の練習をします。
Japanese punctuation is often more flexible than English punctuation.
Can I use the same pattern with verbs, like before speaking or before eating?
Yes, but with verbs you usually use the dictionary form + 前に.
Examples:
- 食べる前に = before eating
- 話す前に = before speaking
- 行く前に = before going
With nouns, you use:
- noun + の + 前に
Examples:
- 面談の前に = before the interview
- 授業の前に = before class
So the rule is:
- noun + の前に
- verb dictionary form + 前に
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