Перед семинаром я ещё раз прочитал памятку и повестку, чтобы ничего не забыть.

Because перед normally takes the instrumental case when it means before / in front of in space or time.

So:

• семинар = seminar
• перед семинаром = before the seminar

This works for time expressions too:

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

So the ending -ом shows the instrumental singular of a masculine noun.

Прочитал is the perfective past form, and it presents the action as completed.

Here the idea is that the speaker read through the memo and agenda one more time before the seminar. That is a finished, one-time action, so perfective fits well.

Compare:

• читал = was reading / used to read / read in a general sense
• прочитал = read completely / finished reading

In this sentence, the speaker is not describing an ongoing process, but a completed preparation step.

Ещё раз means one more time or again.

So:

• я ещё раз прочитал = I read ... again / one more time

It often suggests repetition for emphasis, checking, or making sure:

• Скажи ещё раз. = Say it again.
• Прочитай ещё раз. = Read it one more time.

In this sentence, it implies the speaker had already read these things before and decided to review them again.

They are in the accusative singular because they are the direct objects of прочитал.

Their dictionary forms are:

• памятка
• повестка

These are feminine nouns ending in -а, and in the accusative singular they usually change -а to -у:

• памятка → памятку
• повестка → повестку

So the sentence is literally structured like:

• I read what?
  • памятку
  • повестку

They can be tricky because they look similar, but they mean different things.

• памятка = a memo, reminder sheet, instruction sheet, checklist-type document
• повестка = an agenda

In other contexts, повестка can also mean a summons or draft notice, but here, with семинар, it clearly means agenda.

So the speaker reread:

• the memo / instruction sheet
• and the agenda

Because чтобы introduces a subordinate clause of purpose.

The structure is:

• Я прочитал ... , чтобы ничего не забыть.
• I read ... so that I would not forget anything.

Russian normally separates this kind of clause with a comma.

Very common pattern:

• Я пришёл рано, чтобы поговорить с ним.
• I came early to talk to him.

So the comma is required because чтобы starts a new clause.

Yes, and in Russian that is normal and required.

Russian uses negative concord, which means negative words usually appear together:

• ничего не забыть = not forget anything
• literally closer to forget nothing

So:

• ничего = nothing / anything in a negative sentence
• не забыть = not forget

You cannot normally say чтобы что-то не забыть here if you mean so as not to forget anything. That would change the meaning.

This pattern is very common:

• Я ничего не знаю. = I don’t know anything.
• Он никого не видел. = He didn’t see anyone.

Because забыть is perfective, and here it refers to the possible result the speaker wants to avoid: forgetting something as a complete event.

After чтобы, Russian often uses the aspect that best matches the intended meaning:

• чтобы ничего не забыть = so as not to forget anything

The idea is not about an ongoing habit of forgetting, but about preventing a specific failure from happening.

If you used забывать, it would sound more like a repeated or habitual process, which does not fit as well here.

Because in чтобы ничего не забыть, the subject is understood to be the same person: я.

Russian often omits the subject in infinitive purpose clauses when it is clear from context.

So the meaning is:

• Я прочитал ... , чтобы (я) ничего не забыл.
• but Russian naturally says чтобы ничего не забыть with the infinitive.

This is very common:

• Я записал это, чтобы не забыть.
• I wrote it down so I wouldn’t forget.

In Russian, past tense verbs agree with the subject in gender and number.

So:

• я прочитал = I read / reread (speaker is male)
• я прочитала = I read / reread (speaker is female)

The sentence uses прочитал, so it suggests that the speaker is male, or that the example is written from a masculine speaker’s point of view.

Yes, often you could, but the nuance is a little different.

• перед семинаром = before the seminar, often relatively close to the event
• до семинара = before the seminar, sometimes more neutral or broader

In this sentence, перед семинаром feels very natural because it sounds like something done shortly before the seminar began, as part of immediate preparation.

So до семинара is possible in many contexts, but перед семинаром is especially good for right before.

The word order is natural and neutral.

• Перед семинаром puts the time context first: Before the seminar
• я ещё раз прочитал gives the main action
• памятку и повестку gives the objects
• чтобы ничего не забыть gives the purpose

Russian word order is flexible, but this version flows very naturally because it moves from:

1. when
2. who
3. what happened
4. what was read
5. why

You could rearrange parts for emphasis, but this sentence sounds standard and clear.

Yes, it matters for pronunciation and sometimes for clarity.

• ещё is pronounced roughly yesh-CHO
• the ё sound is yo

In many printed texts, Russians often write е instead of ё, so you may also see еще. But the word is still pronounced ещё.

For learners, it is helpful to remember the actual pronunciation:

• ещё раз = again / one more time

So even if you see еще раз, you should usually understand it as ещё раз.