Translation guide
Expresses a location directly ahead of a reference point, often with emphasis on immediacy or closeness.
There is a convenience store just in front of the station.
He sat down just in front of me.
Literally 'before one's eyes', this emphasizes that something is directly in front and very close, often with a sense of immediacy or unavoidability. Slightly more vivid than すぐ前.
The accident happened just in front of me.
The hotel is right in front of the beach.
Means 'directly in front' or 'facing'. Often used for buildings or objects that face each other. More formal than 前.
The bank is just in front of the post office.
To describe something happening right before a specific event or point in time.
直前 means 'just before' in time. Use with a noun or verb phrase to indicate the moment immediately preceding an event.
The phone rang just before departure.
He crammed just before the exam.
Can also be used for time, though 直前 is more precise for 'just before'. すぐ前 can mean 'shortly before'.
To indicate that someone or something is moving or positioned right in front of another moving entity.
Use with motion verbs (歩く, 走る, 通る) to mean 'just in front of' while moving. The particle を marks the path.
A child crossed just in front of the car.
Both mean 'just in front of', but 目の前 is more vivid and often implies something happening right before your eyes, sometimes with surprise or shock. すぐ前 is more neutral and simply states proximity.
He was standing just in front of me. (neutral)
He suddenly appeared right in front of me. (dramatic)
If you only need 'in front of' without the emphasis on immediacy, use ～の前 (まえ) without すぐ. Adding すぐ makes it 'just' or 'right' in front.
I distributed the materials just before the meeting.