うちに

うちに Japanese Grammar Lesson

Grammar Type: Conjunction

Essential Meaning: While / Before / During

Construction: 

• Stative Verb informal nonpast + うちに
  • E.g. いるうちに [While X is here]
  • E.g. 話はなせるうちに [While X is able to speak]

• Verb informal negative nonpast + うちに
  • E.g. 話はなさないうちに [While X hasn’t yet spoken]
  • E.g. 食たべないうちに [While X hasn’t yet eaten]

• Verb Progressive Form + うちに
  • E.g. 話はなしているうちに [While X is speaking]
  • E.g. 食たべているうちに [While X is eating]

• い-Adjective informal nonpast + うちに
  • E.g. 高たかいうちに [While X is expensive]

• な-Adjective Stem + なうちに
  • E.g. 静しずかなうちに [While X is quiet]

• Durative Noun + のうちに
  • E.g. 休やすみのうちに [During Vacation]

Notes:

• うちに in equivalent to the English “While” or “During” and expresses the general time frame during which a given action or state takes places. うちに is preceded by stative verbs (e.g. いる [To exist], progressive verbs (e.g. 食たべている [Eating]), adjectives (e.g. 高たかい [Expensive]), or durative nouns (e.g. 春はる [Spring], 昼間ひるま [Daytime], 週間しゅうかん [Week]). The tense of the verb or adjective that precedes うちに is always nonpast regardless of the tense of the main clause.
  • E.g. Stative Verb: 前田まえださんはアメリカにいるうちに英語えいごが上手じょうずになった。[While Maeda-san was in America, he became good at English.]
  • E.g Progressive Verb: 走はしっているうちにおなかが痛いたくなった。[While I was running, my stomach began to hurt.]
  • E.g. Adjective: 若わかいうちに本ほんをたくさん読よみなさい。[While you’re young, read many books.]
  • E.g. Durative Noun: 休やすみのうちによく寝ねておきます。[I will sleep a lot during my holiday.]

• The verb before うちに is often negated to mean “Before X” or “While X is not yet the case“.
  • E.g. Negative Verb: 忘わすれないうちに [While I have not yet forgotten / Before I forget]
  • E.g. Positive Verb: 暖あたたかいうちに飲のんでください。[Please drink it while it’s hot.]

• うちに is distinct from 間あいだ. Specifically, 間あいだ indicates a time interval between two events or a time boundary within which some action takes place. However, in some situations it is impossible to define a discrete time boundary between two events. For example, in the sentence “I’ll play tennis before it rains“, it is impossible to know exactly when it will rain. Similarly, in the sentence “Please drink the beer while it’s still cold“, it’s impossible to put a time boundary on exactly when the beer will cease to be cold. うちに is used in such cases when the time boundary is not discreet.
  • E.g. 雨あめが降ふらないうちにテニスをします。[I’ll play tennis before it rains.]
  • E.g. 冷つめたいうちにビールを飲のんでください。[Please drink the beer while it’s still cold.]

• Note that うちに can not be used after a noun that refers to an event (e.g. 授業じゅぎょう [Lesson] or 試合しあい [Match].) 間あいだ or ちゅうに are used in such cases instead.
  • E.g. *授業じゅぎょうのうちによく質問しつもんをした。[I asked many questions during class.] うちに can not be used after a noun that refers to an event.
  • E.g. 授業じゅぎょう中ちゅうによく質問しつもんをした。[I asked many questions during class.]
  • E.g. 授業じゅぎょうの間あいだによく質問しつもんをした。[I asked many questions during class.]
  • E.g. *試合しあいのうちに雨あめが降ふってきた。[It began to rain during the game.] うちに can not be used after a noun that refers to an event.
  • E.g. 試合しあい中ちゅうに雨あめが降ふってきた。[It began to rain during the game.]
  • E.g. 試合しあいの間あいだに雨あめが降ふってきた。[It began to rain during the game.]

Example Sentences:

前田まえださんはアメリカにいるうちに英語えいごが上手じょうずになった。[While Maeda-san was in America, he became good at English.]

何なにもしないうちに今年ことしも終おわった。[Before I achieved anything, the year finished.]

走はしっているうちにおなかが痛いたくなった。[While I was running, my stomach began to hurt.]

若わかいうちに本ほんをたくさん読よみなさい。 [While you’re young, read many books.]

雨あめが降ふらないうちにテニスをします。[I’ll play tennis before it rains.]

忘わすれないうちに言いっておきたいことがある。[There’s something I want to tell you before I forget.]

考かんがえているうちにわからなくなった。[While I was thinking, I forgot.]

働はたらけるうちにできるだけ働はたらきたい。[I want to work as hard as I can while I am able to work.]

暖あたたかいうちに飲のんでください。[Please drink it while it’s hot.]

休やすみのうちによく寝ねておきます。[I will sleep a lot during my holiday.]

WILD Examples:

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