時Linking sentences
When and while
Say when something happens, do two things at once, and make the most of a passing moment.
Forms of 時
Treat 時 like a noun
| Before it | Now | Past |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | 行く時 | 行った時 |
| い adjective | 高い時 | 高かった時 |
| な adjective | 暇な時 | 暇だった時 |
| Noun | 子供の時 | 子供だった時 |
Think about it
In which sentence did you buy it in Japan?
First
日本に行く時、かばんを買いました。Nihon ni iku toki, kaban o kaimashita.Second
日本に行った時、かばんを買いました。Nihon ni itta toki, kaban o kaimashita.In use
時
What do you do when you're free?
When I was a child, I lived here.
I turn off the lights when I go to bed.
Two things at once
ながら
The main action goes last. The same person must do both.
I study while listening to music.
Verb stem + ながら. Studying is the main action.
Let's talk while we walk.
While you still can
うちに
I want to travel while I'm young.
Do it before that state ends.
Let's get off the mountain before it gets dark.
Negative + うちに means “before”.
Please eat it while it's hot.
A stretch of time
間 and 間に
A sudden event has to use 間に, because it can't fill a whole stretch: 留守の間に友だちが来ました, never 留守の間 alone. A different person in the 間 clause takes が, and the verb stays nonpast even in a past story.
The whole time my mother was asleep, I was drawing.
間: the second action fills the whole stretch.
While my mother was asleep, I tidied the room.
間に: it happens at some point inside the stretch.
I learned to drive during winter break.
Nouns take の, and な adjectives take な.
間 or ながら?
What are you focusing on?
My brother listened to music the whole time he was brushing his teeth.
間 measures how long it lasted.
My brother listened to music as he brushed his teeth.
ながら marks a minor action on the side, and needs one person doing both.
Beyond time
A と B の間
間 is the space between two points, in time or anywhere else. With adjectives like 若い it's fine, but うちに often sounds more natural, and only うちに carries the urgency of “before it ends”, so “eat it while it's hot” stays 熱いうちに.
There's a flower shop between the station and the bank.
A physical gap.
Things aren't going well between those two.
From there, a relationship.
Telling them apart
前に vs. うちに
Use 前に when you know exactly when something will happen: 三時になる前に. Use ない+うちに when you don't know when: 雨が降らないうちに, “before it starts raining.” うちに emphasizes doing it while the current state still holds, and the verb stays in its present form.
Your turn
Which fits?
I eat while watching TV.
Check yourself
What's the timing?
A stretch of time
The whole time, or at some point?
Say it yourself
Time is short
Your host in Japan offers you some hot ramen, and asks what you like doing in the evening. Answer that you listen to music while you read, and thank them with a promise to eat while it's hot.
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