か～ないかのうちにhad barely … when; almost before
The first thing had barely happened when the second began. The verb comes twice, plain and then negative: 鳴るか鳴らないか, "had it rung or hadn't it?".
The bell had barely begun to ring when the students rushed out of the classroom.
He had barely sat down when he stood up again.
How to form it
Verb (dictionary form or た-form) + か + the same verb in the ない-form + かのうちに
鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに, 着いたか着かないかのうちに. The second verb is the plain ない-form either way, and the meaning is the same.
- Before it
- Something over in a moment: 鳴る, 座る, 着く, 終わる, 言う, 閉じる.
- After it
- What happened right then, often what someone was quick to do: 飛び出した, 立ち上がった, 返事をした.
- Where you'll meet it
- Stories and accounts of what happened, written or spoken. It is long, so in everyday talk たとたん is more usual.
In use
The train had barely pulled into the station when people gathered at the doors.
He was fast asleep almost before he had closed his eyes.
She answered almost before her name had been called.
か～ないかのうちに or たとたん?
The moment the lights went out, a cheer went up from the hall.
The lights were out. Then the cheer.
The lights had barely gone out when a cheer went up from the hall.
The cheer began before you could say the lights were out.
Two things to know
It did happen
The ない cancels nothing. 鳴るか鳴らないか says it was too close to call, but the bell rang.
Not a request, and not a plan
It tells what happened. For what you ask or intend, the everyday たら、すぐ does the job.
Not said: 駅に
(Please call me the moment you get to the station.)
駅に着いたら、すぐ電話してください.
Close neighbours
たとたん（に）N3
The everyday one. The very moment one thing was done, something else happened, suddenly and not by your choice.
The moment I sat down, the phone rang.
Two things one right after the other, told by someone watching. The second is often the opposite of the first. Not said about what you did yourself.
No sooner had the baby fallen asleep than it woke up again.
矢先にN2
"Just as I was about to", or when something had only just happened: something else cuts across it. Mostly bad timing.
Just as we were about to leave on a family trip, our son came down with a fever.
ないうちにN3
The negative alone is "before": it hasn't happened yet. With the verb twice, it has.
Let's go down the mountain before it gets dark.
Check yourself
1What happened?
彼は
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which ending fits?
映画が
Choose an answer to see why.
More sentences
It had barely begun to rain when the spectators all put up their umbrellas at once.