Breakdown of mousikomisyo wo dasu mae ni, haha ni mite moraimasu.
Questions & Answers about mousikomisyo wo dasu mae ni, haha ni mite moraimasu.
What does 前に mean in this sentence?
前に means before.
In 申込書を出す前に, it means before submitting the application form.
The basic pattern is:
- dictionary form of verb + 前に = before doing ...
So:
- 出す = to submit / hand in
- 出す前に = before submitting
Why is 出す in the dictionary form before 前に?
Because with verb + 前に, Japanese normally uses the dictionary form of the verb.
So:
- 食べる前に = before eating
- 行く前に = before going
- 出す前に = before submitting
The dictionary form here does not mean plain present tense by itself. In this pattern, it simply marks the action that has not happened yet at the time of the main action.
So 申込書を出す前に、母に見てもらいます means the mother checks it first, and the submission happens after that.
Why is there a に after 前?
In this grammar pattern, 前に is the standard form.
You can think of 前 as a noun meaning front / before, and に marks the time point at which something happens.
So:
- 寝る前に = before sleeping
- 出かける前に = before going out
- 申込書を出す前に = before submitting the application form
In modern Japanese, you should learn this as a set expression: verb + 前に.
Why does 申込書 take を?
Because 申込書 is the direct object of 出す.
- 申込書 = application form
- を = marks the direct object
- 出す = to submit / hand in / send out
So 申込書を出す means to submit the application form.
What exactly does 見てもらいます mean?
見てもらいます means something like:
- have someone look at it
- get someone to check it
- ask someone to look it over
This is the pattern:
- te-form + もらう
It means to receive the favor of someone doing something for you.
So:
- 見る = to look at
- 見て = te-form of 見る
- 見てもらう = to have someone look at it / to get someone to look at it
In this sentence, the speaker receives the benefit of the mother checking the form.
Why is 母 followed by に?
Because に marks the person who performs the action in the てもらう pattern.
Pattern:
- person に + te-form + もらう
So:
- 母に見てもらいます = I will have my mother look at it
The mother is the one who does the looking/checking, so she is marked by に.
How is 見てもらいます different from just 見ます?
見ます just means look at or see.
But 見てもらいます adds the idea that someone does it for me / as a favor to me.
Compare:
母が申込書を見ます。
- My mother looks at the form.
母に申込書を見てもらいます。
- I have my mother look at the form.
- I get my mother to check the form for me.
The second one emphasizes the speaker’s point of view and the benefit received.
Does 見る here mean just look at, or more like check/review?
Here it usually means check, look over, or review, not just physically glance at it.
Because the object is an application form, the natural interpretation is that the mother will:
- check for mistakes
- make sure it looks okay
- review it before submission
So in English, look over or check is often a better translation than a literal look at.
Who is the subject of this sentence?
The subject is omitted, which is very common in Japanese.
From context, the most natural subject is I:
- (I) will have my mother look over the application form before submitting it.
Japanese often leaves out subjects when they are understood from context.
So even though there is no explicit 私 here, the sentence naturally sounds like the speaker is talking about their own action.
Why is it もらいます and not もらいました?
Because もらいます is polite non-past form, which can mean:
- present/habitual, or
- future
In this sentence, it is most naturally future:
- I will have my mother check it before submitting it.
If it were もらいました, it would mean the action already happened:
- 申込書を出す前に、母に見てもらいました。
- Before submitting the application form, I had my mother look at it.
Could this sentence use 見せます instead?
It could, but the meaning would be a little different.
Compare:
母に見せます
- I show it to my mother.
母に見てもらいます
- I have my mother look at it / check it for me.
見せる focuses on showing. 見てもらう focuses on getting the mother to check it as a favor.
So in this sentence, 見てもらいます is better if the idea is having the mother review the form before submission.
Why is it 母 and not お母さん?
When talking about your own mother to someone else, Japanese often uses 母 in neutral or formal speech.
- 母 = my mother
- お母さん = mother / mom, often used when addressing your mother directly, or when referring to someone else’s mother more politely
So in a sentence like this, 母に見てもらいます sounds natural.
Using お母さんに見てもらいます is also possible in casual conversation, especially if the speaker is speaking in a more personal or family-style way, but 母 is a standard textbook choice.
Can 申込書を出す前に be understood as before I send it in, not only before I physically hand it in?
Yes.
出す has a broad meaning: take out, send, submit, hand in, depending on context.
With 申込書 (application form), 出す naturally means:
- submit
- hand in
- send in
So the exact English wording depends on the situation:
- before submitting the application form
- before handing in the application form
- before sending in the application form
All of these can fit.
Is there any reason the sentence puts 母に見てもらいます after the comma?
Yes. The sentence is organized in a very common Japanese way:
- time condition / background first
- main action second
So:
- 申込書を出す前に、 = before submitting the application form,
- 母に見てもらいます。 = I’ll have my mother check it.
This word order is very natural in Japanese. It sets up the situation first, then gives the main action.
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