Lesson 2
Time (1): the instant after
- 1 〜が早いか ~ga hayai ka no sooner had ~ than The first thing has barely happened and the next action is already under way — the language of writing and news.
- 2 〜や否や ~ya ina ya the moment ~ / hardly had ~ when The 'the moment' of the news — one thing happens, and the reaction bursts out at once.
- 3 〜なり ~nari as soon as ~ (and then, unexpectedly…) Someone does one thing and at once does another, surprising thing — 'wait, why?'
- 4 〜そばから ~soba kara no sooner done than undone (again and again) Do it, it's undone; do it again, undone again — the never-ending chore.
- 5 〜とみると ~to miru to the moment (someone) judges that ~ Someone sizes up the situation — and instantly changes course.
Lesson check
All 5 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「片付ける＿、子どもがまたおもちゃを出してくる。毎日これだ。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:「毎日これだ」— a headache that keeps repeating.
Done, undone, over and over → そばから. なり・や否や・が早いか are for a single event.
「彼は自分が不利だ＿、急に話題を変える。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:「不利だ」is not an event — it's a judgement.
A quick change of move after judging 'this is bad for me' → とみると. The other three can't follow 「だ」.
「新商品は店に並んだ＿、売り切れてしまった。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:There's a た-form before it. Which form accepts the た-form?
が早いか takes both the dictionary form and the た-form: 並んだが早いか. や否や and なり take only the dictionary form.
To a friend: 「昨日、家に着いた＿、すぐ寝ちゃった。」— which is most natural?
💡 Hint:A chat with a friend — do stiff written words fit?
が早いか and や否や belong in writing and news; in a chat use 「〜たとたん」. そばから is for repeated things.
「会議が＿、こちらからお電話いたします。」(a promise for later) — which fits?
💡 Hint:What follows is the speaker's own plan.
Every form in this lesson only describes what already happened; for a plan or promise use N3's 「Vます次第」.
Which sentence uses 「なり」correctly?
💡 Hint:Same subject, already happened, a slightly surprising action.
なり = the same person's quick, surprising action. The rain fell by itself (different subject), 「つもりだ」is a plan, and a repeated thing is そばから.
「台風の進路が発表＿、空港には予約を変える客が詰めかけた。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:News style, a single event; which form goes before や否や?
Dictionary form + や否や: 発表されるや否や. 「されたや否や」is wrong; そばから is for repetition; とみると is for a judgement.
「選手は、相手のキーパーが前に出ている＿、遠くからシュートを打った。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:「出ている」is a situation — the player sized it up.
Sizing up a situation and moving at once → とみると. なり and や否や follow an instant action (dictionary form), not 〜ている.
Your score: /8