たびにevery time; whenever
Every time one thing happens, another comes with it. たびに counts the occasions one by one: this time, last time, the time before.
Whenever I hear this song, I remember my student days.
Every time I moved, I owned a little less.
How to form it
Verb in the dictionary form + たびに ・ Noun + の + たびに
会うたびに, 旅行のたびに. The verb stays in the dictionary form, even about the past. Also written 度に.
- Before it
- Something that happens again and again: 会う, 見る, 聞く, 帰る. Or an occasion: 旅行, 引っ越し, 会議.
- After it
- What comes each time: a memory or a feeling, something a person does, or a change that has gone a little further.
- Where you'll meet it
- Conversation and writing alike, for fond memories and for complaints.
In use
Every time I go back to my parents' place, the town looks different.
The same issue comes up at every meeting.
Every time I have a health check, I take another look at my habits.
Two things to know
The verb doesn't go into the past
English says "every time I went". With たびに, only the end of the sentence shows the past. The verb before it stays in the dictionary form.
Each time he learned a new word, he made up an example sentence.
Not said: 京都に
(Every time I went to Kyoto, I stopped at this shop.)
行くたびに.
A little more each time
With a change after it, たびに says there is more of it each time. いつも ("always") can't do that: it says things are the same every time.
My friend's child is bigger every time we meet.
Close neighbours
とN4
The plain "when" or "whenever", often with いつも: one thing follows another as a matter of course. たびに takes the times one by one.
Whenever my grandmother looked at old photos, she would always tell the same story.
ときN5
"When", once or many times, and after adjectives too. たびに needs something that happens: a verb or an occasion.
When it is cold, I drink hot tea.
ごとにN4
Mostly after an amount or a noun, with no の: every fifteen minutes, each class. After a verb, たびに is the usual word.
This bus leaves every fifteen minutes.
Check yourself
1Which one fits?
去年は、
Choose an answer to see why.
2A friend says this about your Japanese. What does she mean?
会うたびに
Choose an answer to see why.
More detail
そのたびに is "each time", pointing back at what was just said.
I have moved three times, and each time there was more to move.
このたび is a formal "on this occasion", a different use.
Thank you for all your help on this occasion.
More sentences
Last year, every time I went on a business trip, I bought a box of local sweets.
Every time I read the same material, a new question comes up.