Time & Sequence

Introduction

Describing when things happen in relation to each other is fundamental. Japanese has precise patterns for "before", "after", "while", and "since" that you'll use constantly.

These temporal patterns are essential for storytelling and describing daily routines.

Themes

All Japanese Grammar Basic in This Chapter (13)

1. ～時・とき (when) とき A dependent noun that indicates the time when someone does, did, or will do something. It connects a modifying clause to a main clause to...
2. ～間・あいだ(に) (during) あいだ Indicates the duration or interval between two temporal or physical points. When followed by に, it emphasizes that something happens at s...
3. ～うちに (while) うちに Expresses doing something during a limited period while a certain condition still holds, often with the nuance that the opportunity will ...
4. ～あとで (after) あとで Indicates that a state or action takes place at some time after another event. The time gap between the two events is not necessarily imm...
5. ～前に・まえに (before) まえに Indicates that something happens before another event or situation comes about. Can also express spatial position meaning 'in front of.'
6. ～まで (until/up to) まで A particle that indicates a spatial, temporal, or quantitative limit. It marks the end point of a duration, distance, or range.
7. ～までに (by) までに A particle that indicates a time limit or deadline by which an action must be completed. The action itself does not need to continue up t...
8. ～ごとに (every) ごとに Indicates that something takes place regularly at each successive interval of time or space. It expresses recurring patterns or periodic ...
9. ～ごろ (approximately) ごろ Indicates an approximate point in time. It is used with specific time expressions to mean 'around' or 'about' that time.
10. ～ながら (while doing) ながら A conjunction that indicates two actions performed simultaneously by the same subject. The action in the ながら clause is secondary to the m...
11. ～たり～たりする (do things like) たり Expresses an inexhaustive listing of actions or states, implying that the mentioned items are representative examples and other similar a...
12. まだ (still/not yet) まだ An adverb indicating that someone or something remains in the same state as before. With affirmative verbs it means 'still'; with negativ...
13. もう (already/no longer) もう An adverb indicating that someone or something has changed from a previous state. With affirmative predicates it means 'already'; with ne...