【JLPT N2 Grammar】〜か〜ないかのうちに（~ka~naikanouchini）

2020年4月22日 2024年9月23日

This article may include advertisements.

Explanation：〜か〜ないかのうちに

Meaning
"〜するとすぐに / 〜したらすぐに"

"at almost the same time as doing / just when one was trying to do"
Used to indicate that two actions happen in quick succession, where the second action occurs almost simultaneously or immediately after the first one, sometimes before the first action is fully completed.

Form
V（dictionary form/ ta form） + か + V（nai form） + かのうちに

Points

Simultaneous or Immediate Action: This phrase emphasizes that the second action takes place so quickly after the first one that there’s hardly any time gap between them.
Uncertainty: The nuance often suggests that the first action might not even be fully completed before the second action happens.
Frequent in Descriptive Situations: It’s commonly used to describe situations where something occurs unexpectedly fast.

JLPT Level
N2

Sample sentenes

電車でんしゃが駅えきに着つくか着つかないかのうちに、たくさんの人ひとが降おりる準備じゅんびをした。
As soon as the train approached the station, many people started preparing to get off.

映画えいがが終おわるか終おわらないかのうちに、観客かんきゃくは席せきを立たった。
As soon as the movie ended, the audience got up from their seats.

彼かれはベッドに横よこになるかならないかのうちに、眠ねむってしまった。
He fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed.

３０分さんじゅっぷんジョギングするかしないかのうちに、足あしが痛いたくなってきた。
My feet started hurting after about 30 minutes of jogging.

Vocabulary

Japanese		English
観客	かんきゃく	audience
横になる	よこになる	to lie down