No sooner… than: 〜かと思うと・〜かと思ったら
Verb-た + かと思うと／かと思ったら
Verb-た + かと思うと／かと思ったら: no sooner has one thing happened than another, unexpected, follows. You describe what you observe in others or in nature, never an intention.
In short
〜かと思うと links two events that follow each other very quickly, the second contradicting or upsetting the first: “no sooner… than”. You're describing what you observe (a person, the weather, a machine), never your own action. In speech, 〜かと思ったら is more common.
- 晴れたかと思うと、また雨が降り出した。はれたかとおもうと、またあめがふりだした。No sooner had the sky cleared than it started raining again.
- 弟は帰ってきたかと思うと、すぐにまた出かけていった。おとうとはかえってきたかとおもうと、すぐにまたでかけていった。My little brother had barely got home when he went straight out again.
- 赤ちゃんは泣いたかと思ったら、もう笑っている。あかちゃんはないたかとおもったら、もうわらっている。The baby was crying a second ago, and now it's already laughing.
The basics
Literally, 〜たかと思うと means “at the moment you think… has happened”. You barely have time to register the first fact before the second is already there. English says “no sooner… than”, “hardly had… when”, “the moment… then”.
The second event is almost always unexpected, often the opposite of the first: sunshine then rain, silence then shouting, arriving then leaving. It's a narrator's construction, watching the scene from outside.
No sooner had the sky cleared than it started raining again.
- verb
- grammatical form
- other
- noun
- 電気がついたかと思うと、すぐにまた消えた。でんきがついたかとおもうと、すぐにまたきえた。The light came on, and almost immediately it went out again.
- 名古屋の夏は、晴れたかと思うと急に夕立が来る。なごやのなつは、はれたかとおもうときゅうにゆうだちがくる。In Nagoya in summer, the sky has barely turned blue when a sudden downpour hits.
How to form it
Put the verb in the plain past (た-form), then かと思うと or かと思ったら. The second part relates a fact already observed, in the past or in an observational present.
| Form | Example | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Verb-た + かと思うと | 来たかと思うと | neutral, narrative, written |
| Verb-た + かと思ったら | 来たかと思ったら | more spoken, conversation |
| Verb-た + かと思えば | 来たかと思えば | variant, often for a contrast |
- 部長は会議室に入ったかと思ったら、すぐ出てきた。ぶちょうはかいぎしつにはいったかとおもったら、すぐでてきた。The section chief went into the meeting room and came out again almost at once.
The two rules of use
First rule: you're talking about someone else or a phenomenon, not yourself. For your own action, you say 〜たとたん（に）. “私は家に着いたかと思うと…” sounds wrong: you don't marvel at your own actions.
Second rule: the second part is an observation. No order, no invitation, no intention (“〜かと思うと、行きましょう” is impossible).
- 家に着いたとたん、雨が降り出した。いえについたとたん、あめがふりだした。Just as I got home, it started to rain. (me: たとたん)
- 猫は窓に上ったかと思うと、外に飛び出した。ねこはまどにのぼったかとおもうと、そとにとびだした。The cat had barely jumped up onto the window when it shot outside.
Neighbours: たとたん and か〜ないかのうちに
All three say “right after”, with nuances. たとたん (N3) stresses the trigger: one thing happens right after the other, by chance. かと思うと stresses the observer's surprise and the sudden change. か〜ないかのうちに (next point) goes even further: the first action isn't even finished.
| Construction | Idea | For yourself? |
|---|---|---|
| 〜たとたん | just as, something unexpected happens | yes |
| 〜たかと思うと | no sooner… than, a surprising change observed | no |
| 〜か〜ないかのうちに | almost simultaneously, before it's even over | yes, in narrative |
- ドアを開けたとたん、猫が飛び出した。どあをあけたとたん、ねこがとびだした。The moment I opened the door, the cat leapt out.
Common mistakes
- Translating it literally as “I thought that…”: here 思う doesn't express an opinion; it marks the instant you notice.
- Using it for your own action (私は〜たかと思うと): for yourself, you say 〜たとたん.
- Putting an intention or an order after it (〜かと思うと、帰ろう): the second part is an observed fact.
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 N2 point is on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line (History and traditions) of the Nagoya lines.