kami o hanbun ni oru mae ni, haha wa jougi o tsukaimashita.

topic particle

Breakdown of kami o hanbun ni oru mae ni, haha wa jougi o tsukaimashita.

• を: direct object particle
• に: time particle
• 母はは: mother

Questions & Answers about kami o hanbun ni oru mae ni, haha wa jougi o tsukaimashita.

Why is 紙 followed by を?

Because 紙 is the direct object of 折る (to fold).

In 紙を半分に折る, the thing being folded is paper, so it takes を.

• 紙を折る = to fold paper
• 本を読む = to read a book
• パンを食べる = to eat bread

Even though 紙を半分に折る comes before 前に, it is still a complete verb phrase, and 紙 is still the object of 折る.

Why is 半分 followed by に?

Here, に marks the resulting state or form.

So 半分に折る means to fold it into half or to fold it in half.

This に is not a location marker here. It shows what the paper becomes as a result of the action.

Compare:

• 紙を半分に折る = fold the paper in half
• 氷が水になる = ice becomes water
• 部屋をきれいにする = make the room clean

So in this sentence, 半分に tells you the shape/state the paper ends up in.

Why is the verb 折る in dictionary form before 前に?