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㊦時・とき

Noun

A dependent noun which indicates the time when someone/something will do/does/did something or the time when someone/something will be/is/was in some state.	At the time when; when
【Related Expression: たら; と4】

Key Sentences

(ksa). 私は日本にいた時(に)お茶を習った・習いました。

I learned the tea ceremony when I was in Japan.

(ksb). 浩は試験の時(に)風邪を引いた・引きました。

Hiroshi caught a cold at the exam time.

Formation

(i){V/Adjective い} informal	時
	{話す /話した}時	When someone talks/talked
	{高い /高かった}時	When something is/was expensive
(ii)Adjective な stem	{なだった}時
	{静かな/静かだった}時	When something is/was quiet
(iii)N	{のだった}時
	{先生の/先生だった}時	When someone is/was a teacher

Examples

(a). 松本さんは朝ご飯を食べる時いつもテレビを見る。

Mr. Matsumoto always watches TV when he eats his breakfast.

(b). テリーはジュースが安い時に沢山買っておいた。

Terry bought a lot of juice when it was cheap.

(c). 僕は静かな時しか本を読まない。

I read only when it's quiet.

(d). 私が大学生だった時妹はまだ三つだった。

When I was a college student, my sister was only three.

(e). これは出発の時に渡します。

I'll give this to you at the time of your departure.

Notes

1. 時, by itself, means 'time', but when it is used as a dependent noun with a modifying phrase or clause, it means 'at the time when' or 'when'.

2. The clause preceding 時 is a type of relative clause; therefore, the basic rules for relative clauses apply to this construction. (⇨ Relative Clause) The following two rules are particularly important:

(A) If the subject of the 時 clause is different from that of the main clause, it is marked by が. Compare (1) with Key Sentence (A):

メアリーは私が日本にいた時フランスにいた。
Mary was in France while I was in Japan.

(B) The predicate form is usually informal except that だ after Adjective な stem and Noun changes to な and の, respectively.

3. The particle に after 時 is optional. With に, time is emphasized and sometimes comes under focus. Compare the two sentences in (2).

a. 私は学生の時よく勉強した。
I studied hard when I was a student.
b. 私は学生の時によく勉強した。
It was when I was a student that I studied hard.

4. If Sentence2 in Sentence1時Sentence2 is in the past tense and Sentence1 expresses a state, the tense of Sentence1 can be either past or nonpast, as in (3).

a. 私は日本にいる/いた時田中先生に会った。
I met Professor Tanaka when I was in Japan.
b. 肉が高い/高かった時は魚も高かった。
When meat was expensive, fish was expensive, too.

5. When Sentence1 in Sentence1時Sentence2 expresses an action, the meaning of the sentence changes depending on the tenses of Sentence1 and Sentence2.

(A) When the verb in Sentence1 is not a movement verb:

a. 私はご飯を食べる時手を洗う。
I (will) wash my hands (right) before I eat my meal.
b. 私はご飯を食べた時手を洗う。
I (will) wash my hands (right) after I've eaten my meal.
c. 私はご飯を食べる時手を洗った。
I washed my hands (right) before I ate my meal.
d. 私はご飯を食べた時手を洗った。
I washed my hands (right) after I ate my meal.

(B) When the verb in Sentence1 is a movement verb:

a. 私はシカゴへ行く時すしを食べるつもリだ。
I'm going to eat sushi
(A) (right) before I leave for Chicago.
(B) on the way to Chicago.

b. 私はシカゴへ行った時すしを食べるつもリだ。
I'm going to eat sushi after I've arrived in Chicago.

c. 私はシカゴへ行く時すしを食べた。
(A) I ate sushi (right) before I left for Chicago.
(B) I ate sushi on the way to Chicago.

d. 私はシカゴへ行った時すしを食べた。
I ate sushi after I arrived in Chicago.

a. 私はシカゴへ行く時車で行く。
When I go to Chicago, I go by car.
b. *私はシカゴへ行った時車で行く。
c. 私はシカゴへ行く時車で行った。
When I went to Chicago, I went by car.
d. 私はシカゴへ行った時車で行った。
When I went to Chicago, I went by car.

【Related Expressions】

Unlike when-clauses in English, 時 clauses do not indicate condition. In other words, 時 clauses are genuine time clauses. In order to indicate condition as expressed in when-clauses, conjunctions like たら and と are used. (⇨ たら; と4) Thus, if [1] expresses a condition which causes the hearer surprise, 時 cannot be used.

[1]

You will be surprised when you see it.

In this case, tara or to must be used, as in [2].

[2]

それを{見たら/見ると/*見る時/*見た時}おどろきますよ。
You'll be surprised when you see it.

㊦とか ←

→ ㊦ところだ(1)

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