Перед отправкой я всегда внимательно читаю заявление и только потом ставлю галочку в нужном поле.

Перед here means before, and in this meaning it normally takes the instrumental case.

• отправка = sending / submission
• instrumental singular: отправкой

So:

• перед отправкой = before sending / before submission

This is very common in Russian:

• перед уроком = before the lesson
• перед встречей = before the meeting
• перед отъездом = before leaving

So перед отправкой literally means before the sending/submission.

Yes. Both are natural, but they are built differently.

• перед отправкой = more compact, noun-based
• перед тем, как отправить = verb-based, a little more explicit

Compare:

• Перед отправкой я читаю заявление.
• Перед тем, как отправить, я читаю заявление.

Both mean before sending, I read the application/statement.

A learner should know that Russian often expresses before doing X in two common ways:

1. перед + noun in instrumental
2. перед тем, как + verb

Because this sentence describes a habitual action or a general procedure, not something happening only once right now.

• я всегда внимательно читаю...
• ...и только потом ставлю...

This is the Russian equivalent of English I always read ... and only then do I tick ...

Russian uses the present tense for repeated or usual actions:

• Я всегда проверяю адрес. = I always check the address.
• Сначала читаю, потом подписываю. = First I read, then I sign.

So the present tense here has a habitual meaning.

Because the sentence is about a repeated routine.

In Russian, the imperfective is commonly used for:

• habitual actions
• repeated actions
• processes

Here the speaker is describing what they generally do every time:

• читаю = I read / I am in the habit of reading
• ставлю = I put / I tick

If this were about one completed future action, Russian would more likely use perfective forms, for example:

• Я внимательно прочитаю заявление и потом поставлю галочку.
  = I will read the statement carefully and then tick the box.

So the imperfective fits the meaning this is what I always do.

Because внимательно is an adverb, and it describes how the person reads.

• внимательный = attentive / careful — an adjective
• внимательно = attentively / carefully — an adverb

Here it modifies the verb читаю:

• внимательно читаю = read carefully

Compare:

• Я внимательный человек. = I am an attentive person.
  Here you need the adjective.
• Я внимательно читаю заявление. = I read the statement carefully.
  Here you need the adverb.

Yes, заявление is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of читаю.

The reason it looks unchanged is that for many inanimate neuter nouns, the nominative and accusative singular are the same.

• nominative: заявление
• accusative: заявление

So:

• Я читаю заявление. = I read the statement/application.

This is perfectly normal. Russian case endings are not always visibly different in every form.

Заявление usually means a statement, application, or formal written request/declaration, depending on context.

Possible translations include:

• application
• statement
• form
• written request

It is often used for official or administrative documents, for example:

• заявление на отпуск = leave request
• заявление в полицию = police statement/report
• подать заявление = submit an application

In this sentence, it probably refers to some formal document being reviewed before submission.

Только потом means only then, only after that, or and only afterwards.

It adds emphasis: the second action happens only after the first one is completed.

So the sentence structure is:

1. first I read carefully
2. only then I tick the box

Compare:

• Сначала читаю, потом ставлю галочку. = First I read, then I tick the box.
• Сначала читаю и только потом ставлю галочку. = First I read, and only then do I tick the box.

The version with только is stronger and emphasizes the correct order.

Галочку is the accusative singular of галочка.

• nominative: галочка
• accusative: галочку

It is the direct object of ставлю:

• ставлю галочку = I tick / I put a check mark

This is a very common expression in Russian for checking a box on a form.

Both can refer to a check mark, but галочка is often the more common and natural everyday word in this context.

• галка can also mean jackdaw (a bird), so context matters.
• галочка is a diminutive form, but in practice it is extremely common and often sounds more natural for a literal check mark in forms/interfaces.

So:

• поставить галочку = to tick/check a box

This is one of those diminutives that is very standard and not necessarily especially cute or emotional.

Because Russian commonly uses the expression ставить галочку literally to put a check mark.

This is the standard idiomatic way to express tick/check a box.

Examples:

• Поставьте галочку. = Tick the box.
• Я поставил галочку напротив нужного пункта. = I ticked the needed item.

So even though English often uses a single verb like check or tick, Russian very often uses a verb + noun expression:

• ставить галочку

Because в here means in and is used with the prepositional case to show location.

• поле = field / box
• prepositional singular: поле
• adjective нужный must agree with it:
  • neuter singular prepositional: нужном

So:

• в нужном поле = in the correct field / in the required box

This is typical adjective-noun agreement in Russian:

• в новом доме
• в нужном месте
• в нужном поле

Yes, поле literally means field, but like English field, it is also used for a space on a form, screen, or document.

So depending on context:

• поле = field
• поле ввода = input field
• нужное поле = the correct field / the required box

In this sentence, it refers to the place on the form where the check mark should go.

Possibly, depending on the exact visual layout, but в нужном поле is broader and more standard for forms.

Some related words:

• поле = field
• клетка = cell, square
• графа = entry/column on a form
• пункт = item/point

If it is a standard form or digital interface, поле sounds very natural.

Yes, я could be omitted, because the verb ending already shows the subject:

• читаю = I read
• ставлю = I put/tick

So Russian could say:

• Перед отправкой всегда внимательно читаю заявление и только потом ставлю галочку в нужном поле.

That is still grammatical and natural.

But including я can:

• make the sentence clearer
• add slight emphasis
• sound more explicit

So both versions are possible.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but the original order is very natural.

Original:

• Перед отправкой я всегда внимательно читаю заявление и только потом ставлю галочку в нужном поле.

This order works well because it presents:

1. the time frame: перед отправкой
2. the subject: я
3. the habitual marker: всегда
4. the manner: внимательно
5. the first action: читаю заявление
6. the emphasized sequence: и только потом
7. the second action: ставлю галочку...

Other orders are possible, but they change emphasis. For example:

• Я перед отправкой всегда внимательно читаю заявление...
• Заявление я перед отправкой всегда внимательно читаю...

These are possible, but the original is the most neutral and natural for general use.

It depends on context. Отправка can refer to:

• sending a message
• submitting a form
• dispatching a document

In this sentence, because of заявление and галочка в нужном поле, it most likely means before submitting/sending the application/form.

So in English, the best translation might be:

• before submitting
• before sending

Context decides which sounds best.

It is mostly neutral standard Russian.

Parts of it feel administrative or form-related:

• заявление
• поле
• отправка

But the phrase ставить галочку is very everyday and common.

So overall, the sentence sounds natural in ordinary speech, instructions, or a comment about one’s personal habit when filling out documents or online forms.

Yes. In this context, нужный can be understood as:

• the needed field
• the required field
• the correct field

Russian нужный often has a broad meaning: the one that is needed/appropriate/right for the purpose.

So в нужном поле is a natural way to say:

• in the right box
• in the appropriate field
• in the required field

A useful way to break it down is:

• Перед отправкой = before sending/submission
• я всегда внимательно читаю заявление = I always read the application/statement carefully
• и только потом = and only then
• ставлю галочку в нужном поле = do I tick the box in the correct field

So the sentence has a clear sequence:

1. before submission
2. I always read carefully
3. only after that
4. I tick the box

This kind of sequencing is very common in Russian and is worth noticing as a pattern.