umi e iku mae ni, hiyakedome o nurimasu.

to go

Breakdown of umi e iku mae ni, hiyakedome o nurimasu.

• を: direct object particle
• に: time particle
• 海うみ: sea

Questions & Answers about umi e iku mae ni, hiyakedome o nurimasu.

Why is 行く in the dictionary form before 前に instead of 行きます?

Before 前に, Japanese normally uses the plain form of the verb, not the polite ます form.

So:

• 海へ行く前に = before going to the beach
• not 海へ行きます前に

This is a very common pattern:

• 寝る前に = before sleeping
• 食べる前に = before eating
• 出かける前に = before going out

Even if the main sentence is polite, the verb before 前に still stays in the plain form.

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What does 前に mean here, and how does the grammar work?

前に means before.

The structure is:

• verb dictionary form + 前に
• noun + の + 前に

In this sentence:

• 海へ行く前に = before going to the beach

So the whole sentence is:

• Before going to the beach, I put on sunscreen.

A few more examples:

• 食べる前に、手を洗います。 = Before eating, I wash my hands.
• 寝る前に、本を読みます。 = Before sleeping, I read a book.
• 旅行の前に、予約します。 = Before the trip, I make a reservation.

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