During: 〜間・〜間に
Verb (dictionary / ている) / Noun + の + 間 / 間に
〜間: the whole time (continuous action). 〜間に: at some point during that time (one-off action). Noun + の, verb in the present or ている.
In short
〜間 (あいだ) means “throughout, for the whole time”: the action lasts from start to finish of the period. 〜間に means “at some point during that time”: the action falls somewhere within the period. A single particle に changes everything.
- 休みの間、ずっと家で寝ていた。やすみのあいだ、ずっといえでねていた。I spent the whole holiday sleeping at home.
- 休みの間に、宿題を終わらせた。やすみのあいだに、しゅくだいをおわらせた。I finished my homework during the holidays.
- 私が出かけている間に、友達が来たらしい。わたしがでかけているあいだに、ともだちがきたらしい。Apparently a friend dropped by while I was out.
The basics
間 (あいだ) refers to an interval, a period with a start and an end. On its own, 〜間 says the second action fills the whole period: you do it without a break (often with ずっと, 〜ている) — English “the whole time”, “throughout”. With に, 〜間に says the second action happens once, at one point in the period — English “while”, “during”.
I finished my homework during the holidays.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- 授業の間、ずっと眠かった。じゅぎょうのあいだ、ずっとねむかった。I was sleepy all through the lesson.
- 待っている間に、コーヒーを一杯飲んだ。まっているあいだに、こーひーをいっぱいのんだ。While I was waiting, I had a coffee.
How to form it
間 is a noun. Verb in the dictionary form or ている, い-adjective as is, な-adjective + な, noun + の. Then 間 (the whole time) or 間に (a moment).
| Form | Second action | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜間、〜 | lasts the whole period (ている, ずっと) | 旅行の間、ずっと晴れていた |
| 〜間に、〜 | happens once within the period | 旅行の間に、財布をなくした |
- 旅行の間、ずっと晴れていた。りょこうのあいだ、ずっとはれていた。It was sunny the whole trip.
- 旅行の間に、財布をなくしてしまった。りょこうのあいだに、さいふをなくしてしまった。I lost my wallet during the trip.
間に, うちに, ながら
間に: a period with clear limits, no judgement. うちに: a period that's going to change, to be made the most of (若いうちに). ながら: two actions done at the same time by the same person (音楽を聞きながら勉強する). With 間, the two actions can have different subjects (私が寝ている間に、母が来た).
| Form | Idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜間に | a moment within a period | 留守の間に荷物が来た |
| 〜うちに | make the most of it before it changes | 若いうちに旅をする |
| 〜ながら | same subject, two simultaneous actions | 歩きながら話す |
- 音楽を聞きながら、駅まで歩いた。おんがくをききながら、えきまであるいた。I walked to the station listening to music.
Common mistakes
- Adding に wrongly: 「休みの間に、ずっと寝ていた」 is clumsy; with an action that lasts the whole time, it's 間 without に.
- Forgetting に with a one-off action: 「留守の間、荷物が届いた」 sounds wrong; the parcel arrives once, so it's 間に.
- Putting the verb in the past: 「寝た間に」 is wrong; say 寝ている間に.
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 N3 point is on the Sagano Line (Travel) of the Kyoto lines.