No sooner done than undone: 〜そばから
動詞辞書形・た形 + そばから
Verb (dict. or た) + そばから = “no sooner done than undone”, again and again: a repeated effort wiped out, a complaining tone.
In short
A そばから B: no sooner is A done than B comes along and cancels or spoils it, again and again. It's the construction of frustration at a repeated, futile effort (tidying, learning, earning money…). It's about a habit, never a one-off event. Written and formal spoken register, a complaining tone.
- 年のせいか、覚えるそばから忘れてしまう。としのせいか、おぼえるそばからわすれてしまう。Must be my age: I forget things as fast as I learn them.
- 片付けるそばから、子どもが部屋を散らかす。かたづけるそばから、こどもがへやをちらかす。No sooner have I tidied up than the kids mess the room up again.
- 注意したそばから、また同じ間違いをする。ちゅういしたそばから、またおなじまちがいをする。I've only just corrected him and he makes the same mistake again.
The basics
そば is “side, close by”. A そばから B = “right next to A, B is already starting”. A's result doesn't get a chance to exist: B undoes it straight away. And since it keeps happening, you express irritation, a sense of wasted effort — like English “as fast as I…, they…”.
I forget things as fast as I learn them.
- verb
- grammatical form
- 覚えるそばから忘れてしまう。おぼえるそばからわすれてしまう。I forget things as fast as I learn them.
- 草を抜くそばから、また新しい芽が出てくる。くさをぬくそばから、またあたらしいめがでてくる。I pull up the weeds, and new shoots come up straight away.
How to form it
そばから follows the dictionary form (an action seen as habitual) or the た-form (an action just finished). The subjects of A and B can be different.
| Before | Construction | Example |
|---|---|---|
| dictionary | 片付ける + そばから | 片付けるそばから散らかす |
| た-form | 注意した + そばから | 注意したそばからまた |
| different subjects | A (me) / B (the child) | 私が作るそばから子どもが食べる |
- 給料をもらったそばから、支払いで消えていく。きゅうりょうをもらったそばから、しはらいできえていく。My salary disappears on bills the moment it's paid in.
A repetition that grates
そばから requires an action that repeats. For a one-off event (“the very moment I hung the washing out, it rained”), you use 〜たとたん. The sentence often takes on a complaining tone, with てしまう, また, いつも.
- 掃除するそばから、犬が泥だらけの足で上がってくる。そうじするそばから、いぬがどろだらけのあしであがってくる。No sooner have I cleaned than the dog comes in with muddy paws.
そばから, とたん, や否や, ても〜ても
とたん and や否や relate a one-off sequence. そばから describes a vicious circle. 〜ても〜ても (“however much I…”) also expresses wasted effort, but without the idea of immediacy.
| Form | Frequency | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜そばから | repeated, immediate | 覚えるそばから忘れる |
| 〜たとたん | once | 出たとたん雨が降った |
| 〜や否や | once (written) | 鳴るや否や飛び出した |
| 〜ても〜ても | repeated, to no avail | 読んでも読んでもわからない |
- 掃いても掃いても、落ち葉がたまっていく。はいてもはいても、おちばがたまっていく。However much I sweep, the dead leaves keep piling up.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a one-off event: for “the very moment”, it's 〜たとたん.
- Taking そば in the sense of “beside”: 作るそばから食べる doesn't mean “eating beside the cook”.
- Missing the negative nuance: そばから expresses frustration, not a happy sequence.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Nishi-Kyūshū Line (Trade and the economy) of the Shinkansen.