yachin o harau mae ni, kouza no zandaka o kakuninshimashita.

direct object particle

Breakdown of yachin o harau mae ni, kouza no zandaka o kakuninshimashita.

• の: possessive case particle
• に: time particle
• 前まえ: before

Questions & Answers about yachin o harau mae ni, kouza no zandaka o kakuninshimashita.

Why is it 払う前に and not 払った前に?

Because when 前に means before doing, the verb before it normally stays in the dictionary form.

• 払う前に = before paying
• 食べる前に = before eating
• 行く前に = before going

By contrast, 後で / 後に often uses the past form:

• 払った後で = after paying

So this is a very common pattern:

• Verb dictionary form + 前に
• Verb past form + 後で / 後に

What does 前に mean here exactly?

Here, 前に means before in a time-sequence sense.

So:

• 家賃を払う前に = before paying the rent

It tells you that the action in the main clause happened first:

1. checked the account balance
2. then paid the rent

It does not mean a physical location like in front of here. Context makes it clearly temporal.

Why are there two を particles in this sentence?