Comparison9 pagesJLPT N4 to N1

Ways to say "as soon as"

In conversation, "as soon as" is たら、すぐ for what you ask or plan, て、すぐ for the next thing you did, and たとたん for something sudden that happened. 次し第だい is the formal way to ask or promise. Most other forms tell what happened, in stories and in writing, and no request or plan follows them.

Form	What follows it	Where
たら、すぐ	What you ask or plan	Everyday conversation
て、すぐ	The next thing someone chose to do	Everyday conversation
たとたん（に）	Something sudden that you didn't choose	Conversation and stories
次し第だい	What will be done: a promise or a request	Offices, shops, stations
かと思おもうと, かと思おもったら	What someone or something else did next, often the opposite of the first thing	Stories; conversation too
か～ないかのうちに	What began when the first thing had barely happened	Stories, written or spoken
や否いなや, が早はやいか	What happened that instant, often how people reacted	Novels and other writing
なり	Something abrupt, done by the same person	Novels, and stories told aloud
そばから	What undoes the first thing, usually every time	Conversation as much as writing

たら、すぐ and て、すぐ: in everyday conversation

Full pageたらN4

たら、すぐ is "as soon as" for a request or a plan. たら is the everyday "when", and すぐ is "right away". Two things someone did, one straight after the other, take the て-form with すぐ.

駅えきに着ついたら、すぐ電でん話わしてください。

Please call as soon as you arrive at the station.

駅えきに着ついて、すぐ母ははに電でん話わしました。

I called my mother as soon as I got to the station.

たとたん（に）: suddenly, and not by your choice

Full pageたとたん（に）N3

たとたん tells what happened the very moment something was done. It comes after the た-form, and what follows is outside your control: a noise, a change, a feeling, what someone else did.

席せきに座すわったとたんに、電でん話わが鳴なった。

The moment I sat down, the phone rang.

Plain たら tells what happened too, but not how suddenly.

ドアを開あけたら、冷つめたい風かぜが吹ふき込こんできた。

When I opened the door, a cold wind rushed in.

What happened when you opened it.

ドアを開あけたとたん、冷つめたい風かぜが吹ふき込こんできた。

The moment I opened the door, a cold wind rushed in.

In that very instant, before you were ready for it.

次し第だい: the formal one, for what will be done

Full page次し第だいN2

After a verb stem, 次し第だい tells what will be done the moment something happens.

決きまり次し第だい、ご連れん絡らくします。

We will contact you as soon as it is decided.

An office, to a customer.

決きまったら、すぐ連れん絡らくするね。

I'll let you know as soon as it's decided.

You, to a friend.

Where it goes wrong

English "as soon as" covers what you ask someone to do, and the next thing you chose to do. たとたん covers neither.

Not said: 駅えきに着ついたとたん、電でん話わしてください。

(Please call me as soon as you get to the station.)

A request takes たら: 駅えきに着ついたら、すぐ電でん話わしてください.

Not said: 家いえに帰かえったとたん、シャワーを浴あびた。

(I took a shower as soon as I got home.)

You chose to. That is the て-form: 家いえに帰かえって、すぐシャワーを浴あびた.

次し第だい can't tell what already happened.

Not said: 駅えきに着つき次し第だい、母ははに電でん話わしました。

(I called my mother as soon as I got to the station.)

駅えきに着ついて、すぐ.

かと思おもうと・かと思おもったら: what you watched happen

Full pageかと思おもうと・かと思おもったらN2

かと思おもうと follows a た-form and tells two things you watched, one right after the other, often opposites. It is said of other people and things, not of what you did yourself. 思おもう is not "I thought" here: the first thing did happen. In conversation people say かと思おもったら.

弟おとうとは泣ないていたかと思おもったら、もう笑わらっている。

One moment my little brother was crying, and the next he is laughing.

兄あには帰かえってきたかと思おもうと、すぐまた出でかけていった。

No sooner had my brother come home than he went out again.

Not said: 私わたしは家いえに帰かえったかと思おもうと、すぐまた出でかけた。

(No sooner had I come home than I went out again.)

About yourself it is the て-form: 家いえに帰かえって、すぐまた出でかけた.

か～ないかのうちに: had barely … when

Full pageか～ないかのうちにN2

か～ないかのうちに has the verb twice, plain and then negative. The ない doesn't mean "didn't": the first thing happened, and the second began at almost the same instant. It is long, so in everyday talk たとたん is more usual.

照しょう明めいが消きえたとたん、会かい場じょうから歓かん声せいが上あがった。

The moment the lights went out, a cheer went up from the hall.

The lights were out. Then the cheer.

照しょう明めいが消きえるか消きえないかのうちに、会かい場じょうから歓かん声せいが上あがった。

The lights had barely gone out when a cheer went up from the hall.

The cheer began before you could tell whether the lights were out.

や否いなや and が早はやいか: in writing

Full pageや・や否いなやN1 が早はやいかN1

や否いなや is "the moment" in writing; in conversation it sounds like reading aloud. The verb in front stays in the dictionary form though the story is in the past. や alone is shorter and stiffer. が早はやいか does the same job in written storytelling, and is rarer. With all three, the two halves of the sentence can be about different people or things.

電でん車しゃが駅えきに着つくや否いなや、待まっていた乗じょう客きゃくが一いっ斉せいに乗のり込こんだ。

The moment the train arrived at the station, the waiting passengers all boarded at once.

そのニュースが伝つたわるや、株かぶ価かは急きゅう落らくした。

As soon as the news broke, share prices plunged.

や alone, as a newspaper would put it.

警けい報ほうが鳴なるが早はやいか、乗じょう客きゃくたちは一いっ斉せいに出で口ぐちへ走はしった。

No sooner had the alarm sounded than the passengers ran for the exit all at once.

なり: one person, and something abrupt

Full pageなり・たなりN1

なり after a dictionary form is "the moment" too, but both halves are about one person, usually someone you were watching. That person does one thing and, the very next instant, something abrupt. People also say なり aloud.

お父とうさんは昨日きのう、帰かえってくるなり寝ねちゃったよ。

Dad went straight to sleep the moment he got in yesterday.

Not said: 私わたしが席せきに着つくなり、電でん話わが鳴なった。

(The moment I sat down, the phone rang.)

Two subjects, me and the phone: 席せきに着ついたとたん、電でん話わが鳴なった.

そばから: as fast as, every time

Full pageそばからN1

そばから mostly tells what happens every time: something is done, and at once it is undone or you can't keep up. It is usually said with a sigh.

部屋へやを片かたづけたとたん、子こどもが散ちらかした。

The moment I had tidied the room, the kids made a mess of it.

Once: what happened that day.

部屋へやを片かたづけたそばから、子こどもが散ちらかす。

As fast as I tidy the room, the kids make a mess of it.

Every time: the room never stays tidy.

新あたらしい単たん語ごを覚おぼえるそばから忘わすれてしまう。

I forget new words as fast as I learn them.

「気きをつけて」と言いったそばから、息子むすこはコップを倒たおした。

I had no sooner said "be careful" than my son knocked his cup over.

言いったそばから is heard a lot, and can be about a single time.

"At the same moment", "just as" and "every time"

と同どう時じにN3

"At the very same moment", with no surprise in it. English "as soon as" is mostly "right after".

ドアが開ひらくと同どう時じに、子こどもたちが外そとへ飛とび出だした。

The moment the door opened, the children rushed outside.

矢や先さきにN2

"Just as I was about to": right then, something else happens. Mostly bad timing.

家か族ぞくで旅りょ行こうに出でかけようとした矢や先さき、息子むすこが熱ねつを出だした。

Just as we were about to leave on a family trip, our son came down with a fever.

たびにN3

A plain "every time", welcome or not: unlike そばから, nothing is undone.

この曲きょくを聞きくたびに、学がく生せい時じ代だいを思おもい出だす。

Whenever I hear this song, I remember my student days.