As soon as: 〜しだい
Verb ます-stem / Noun (する) + 次第
Verb stem + 次第: “as soon as”, a polite announcement of a future action. Noun + 次第だ / 次第で: “depending on”. Never for telling the past.
In short
〜次第（しだい） means “as soon as”: once the first thing is done, you'll do the second. 用意ができ次第、出発します, “we'll set off as soon as everything's ready”. It's a polite, slightly formal phrasing announcing a future action. Followed by だ or で, 次第 has another meaning: “to depend on” (天気次第だ). It's written in kanji (次第) or hiragana (しだい).
- 用意ができ次第、出発します。よういができしだい、しゅっぱつします。We'll set off as soon as everything's ready.
- 駅に着き次第、お電話いたします。えきにつきしだい、おでんわいたします。I'll call you as soon as I arrive at the station.
- 行くかどうかは、天気次第だ。いくかどうかは、てんきしだいだ。Whether we go or not will depend on the weather.
The basics
次第 refers to order, the sequence of things. After a verb stem, it says the second action will follow immediately once the first is done. You hear it a lot at work, in announcements and in customer service: it's a polite promise — English “as soon as”, “upon”.
We'll set off as soon as everything's ready.
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- 詳しいことが決まり次第、お知らせします。くわしいことがきまりしだい、おしらせします。We'll let you know as soon as the details are decided.
- 雨がやみ次第、試合を始めます。あめがやみしだい、しあいをはじめます。The match will start as soon as the rain stops.
How to form it
Verb stem (ます-form without ます) + 次第. With a する action noun, 次第 can attach to the noun: 到着次第 (upon arrival). The second part is a future action, often a promise, a request or a decision.
| Base | Formation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | stem + 次第 | 着き次第・決まり次第 |
| する noun | noun + 次第 | 到着次第・帰国次第 |
| “depend on” | noun + 次第だ / 次第で | 天気次第だ・努力次第で |
- 到着次第、受付にお越しください。とうちゃくしだい、うけつけにおこしください。Upon arrival, please go to reception.
- 人生は考え方次第で変わる。じんせいはかんがえかたしだいでかわる。Life changes depending on how you look at it.
しだい or たとたん?
Both say “straight after”, but they're opposites. たとたん tells of a past surprise that nobody decided. 次第 announces a future, deliberate action. So you can't tell the past with 次第: 「駅に着き次第、雨が降った」 is wrong.
| Form | Tense | Second part |
|---|---|---|
| 〜たとたん | past, narrative | unforeseen event |
| 〜次第 | future, announcement | deliberate action, request |
| 〜たらすぐ | any tense | both, more casual |
- 駅に着いたとたん、雨が降り出した。えきについたとたん、あめがふりだした。The moment I got to the station, it started to rain.
Common mistakes
- Telling the past with 次第: 「着き次第、雨が降った」 is wrong; for a past surprise, it's たとたん.
- Attaching 次第 to the dictionary form or the た-form: 「着く次第」, 「着いた次第」 are wrong; it's 着き次第.
- Mixing up the two meanings: 〜次第、〜します = “as soon as”; Noun + 次第だ = “it depends on”.
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.