あいだ (に)

あいだ (に) Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Phrase

Essential Meaning: While / During / Between X and Y

Construction: 

• Verb ている Form + 間あいだ (に)
  • E.g. 話はなしている間あいだに [While X is speaking]
  • E.g. 食たべている間あいだに [While X is eating]

• い-Adjective + 間あいだ (に)
  • E.g. 高たかい間あいだに [While X is expensive]

• な-Adjective + な 間あいだ ( に)
  • E.g. 静しずかな間あいだに [While X is quiet]

• Noun + の 間あいだ (に)
  • E.g. 夏休なつやすみの間あいだに [During summer vacation]

• Noun 1 と Noun 2 (と) + の間あいだ (に)
  • E.g. 一月いちがつと三月さんがつの間あいだに [Between January and March]

Notes:

• On its own, 間あいだ is a noun that means “space“, “gap“, or “interval“. But with verbs, adjectives, and durative nouns, 間あいだ (に) indicates the time frame during which a certain action or state takes place (e.g. “While I was sleeping“; “During summer vacation“). The grammar that precedes 間あいだ is typically non-past regardless of the tense of the main clause.

• The に particle indicates that the action in the main clause falls within the time span expressed in the subordinate 間あいだ clause rather than occupying the full time span. Thus, if the main verb is a punctual verb (i.e. a verb that acts over a short duration), に is appropriate, and if the main verb is a durative verb (i.e. a verb that acts over an extended duration), に may be appropriate. When に is absent, the action in the main clause is assumed to occur over the same time span that is expressed in the 間あいだ clause.
  • E.g. 夏休なつやすみの間あいだレストランでアルバイトをしました。[I worked part time at a restaurant all throughout summer vacation.] Because に is absent, working at the restaurant is assumed to to place over the full span of summer vacation.
  • E.g. 夏休なつやすみの間あいだにガールフレンドができました。[At some point during summer vacation, I found a girlfriend.] Because に is present, finding a girlfriend is assumed to take place at some point within the span of summer vacation.

• Certain adjectives such as かわいい [Cute]、涼すずしい [Cool / Refreshing], and 暖あたたかい [Warm] may be used with 間あいだ (に) in the same manner that verbs are used, but it generally sounds more natural to use うちに with adjectives instead.
  • E.g. 長ながい間あいだ母ははに手紙てがみを書かいていません。[I haven’t written my mother a letter for a long time.]

• With non-durative nouns, 間あいだ represents a physical space between two things (e.g. “The space between the TV and the wall“) or the emotional space between two people (e.g. “The relationship between Peter and Lauren“). This structure takes the form Noun1と Noun2 (と) の 間あいだ, with the second と being optional.
  • E.g. 日本にほんとアメリカとの間あいだには海うみしかない。[Between Japan and America there is nothing but sea.]
  • E.g. クリスと僕ぼくの間あいだはけっしてわるくない。[The relationship between Chris and me is not bad at all.]

• If the subjects of the main clause and the subordinate 間あいだ clause are different, the subject of the subordinate clause must be marked by が rather than は. This is generally true of subordinate clauses in Japanese.
  • E.g. 子供こどもたちがテレビをみている間あいだ、私わたしは本ほんを読よんでいました。[While the children were watching TV, I was reading a book.]. Note that (1) the subject of the subordinate clause (i.e. 子供こどもたち) is marked by が, and the subject of the main clause (i.e. 私わたし) is marked by は, and (2) the に particle is absent, indicating that the mother read a book throughout the full time span of the kids watching TV.

• ながら is similar to but not identical to 間あいだ (に). The main difference is that 間あいだ (に) emphasizes the time frame of some state or action, while ながら emphasizes the fact that some major action / state occurs concomitantly with some minor action / state.

Example Sentences:

私わたしがご飯はんを食たべている間あいだ山田やまださんはテレビを見みていた。[While I was eating, Mr. Yamada was watching TV.]

私わたしがご飯はんを食たべている間あいだに山田やまださんが来きた。 [While I was eating, Mr. Yamada came.]

長ながい間あいだ母ははに手紙てがみを書かいていません。[I haven’t written my mother a letter for a long time.]

テレビと壁かべの間あいだに電気でんきコードがたくさんあります。[There are many cords between the TV and the wall.]

WILD Examples:

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