When: ～とき
Plain form + とき／Adj-い + とき／Adj-な + な とき／N + の とき
Plain form + とき (な-adjective + な, noun + の) = when, at the time when. 行く とき (before getting there) / 行った とき (once there).
In short
とき = “when, at the time when”. ひまな とき、本を 読みます (when I'm free, I read). こどもの とき (when I was a child). The verb before とき is in the plain form.
- ひまな とき、えいがを 見ます。hima na toki, eiga o mimasuWhen I'm free, I watch films.
- 子どもの とき、フランスに すんでいました。kodomo no toki, furansu ni sunde imashitaWhen I was a child, I lived in France.
- ねむい とき、コーヒーを 飲みます。nemui toki, kōhī o nomimasuWhen I'm sleepy, I drink coffee.
The basics
とき means “the time when, when”. It goes after a clause in the plain form, like a noun: what comes before describes the moment.
- ひまな とき、本を 読みます。hima na toki, hon o yomimasuWhen I have free time, I read.
- 子どもの とき、川で よく あそびました。kodomo no toki, kawa de yoku asobimashitaWhen I was a child, I often played in the river.
What goes before とき
とき behaves like a noun: you attach things to it the way you would to a noun.
| Type | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb | plain form | 日本へ 行く とき／行った とき |
| い-adjective | as is | さむい とき |
| な-adjective | ＋ な | ひまな とき |
| noun | ＋ の | 子どもの とき |
行く とき or 行った とき?
With a verb, the tense before とき says whether the action is finished when the second one happens. 日本へ 行く とき、かばんを 買いました: I bought a bag before leaving for Japan (on the way). 日本へ 行った とき、かばんを 買いました: I bought a bag once I was in Japan.
- 日本へ 行った とき、きものを 買いました。nihon e itta toki, kimono o kaimashitaWhen I went to Japan, I bought a kimono (there).
Common mistakes
- Using the ます-form before とき: “行きます とき” is wrong, it's 行く とき.
- Forgetting な or の: ひまな とき, 子どもの とき.
- Translating the “when” of a question with とき: “when are you coming?” is いつ 来ますか.
5 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 N5 point is on the Chūō Line (The plain form) of the Tokyo subway.