shinseki no ie ni iku mae ni, edamame to yakitori o suupaa de kaimashita.

Before going to my relatives’ house, I bought edamame and yakitori at the supermarket.

Breakdown of shinseki no ie ni iku mae ni, edamame to yakitori o suupaa de kaimashita.

• に: destination particle
• 行いく: to go
• を: direct object particle
• と: noun-connector particle

Questions & Answers about shinseki no ie ni iku mae ni, edamame to yakitori o suupaa de kaimashita.

What does 親戚の家 mean literally, and what is の doing here?

Literally, 親戚の家 is something like relative's house or relatives' house.

The particle の links two nouns and often shows possession or association. So:

• 親戚 = relative(s)
• 家 = house, home
• 親戚の家 = a relative's home / the home of relatives

Japanese does not force you to mark singular vs. plural here, so 親戚 could mean a relative or relatives, depending on context.

Why is there a に after 家 in 親戚の家に行く?

Because 行く means to go, and に marks the destination.

So:

• 家に行く = go to the house
• 学校に行く = go to school
• 日本に行く = go to Japan

Here, 親戚の家に行く means to go to a relative's house.

Why is it 行く前に and not 行った前に?

With 前に meaning before, Japanese usually uses the dictionary form of a verb before it when you mean before doing something.

So:

• 行く前に = before going
• 食べる前に = before eating
• 寝る前に = before sleeping

You do not normally use the past form there.

A useful rule:

• Verb dictionary form + 前に = before doing that verb