N419/179

とき

Verb (dictionary form) + ときVerb (た-form) + ときNoun + のときい-adjective + ときな-adjective + なとき

Meanings

When
At the time of
Whenever (time when something happens)

About this pattern

Explanation

とき marks the time when something occurs. It can refer to a specific moment in the past or future, and is used to link an event with the time it happens. The 不定 or definite time is conveyed by the verb form preceding とき, and the noun/adjective form (のとき, なとき) shows the temporal context.

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Example sentences

忙しいときに電話してはいけない。

Don’t call when you’re busy.

学生のとき、日本に行きたいと思った。

When I was a student, I wanted to go to Japan.

会議が終わったとき、連絡します。

I’ll contact you when the meeting is over.

彼を見たとき、驚いた。

When I saw him, I was surprised.

子供のときはよく風邪をひいた。

When I was a child, I often caught colds.

Related patterns

Or something; Any... (with question words); No matter (who)

easy to (do); likely to (happen); easy to be affected by

Difficult to; Hard to; Not easy to do something

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More N4 patterns

Or something; Any... (with question words); No matter (who)

easy to (do); likely to (happen); easy to be affected by

Difficult to; Hard to; Not easy to do something

Gradually; Little by little; Step by step

more and more; rapidly; increasing quickly; progressively

We/They/You all (plural forms); These/Those (plural demonstratives); Plural suffix for certain pronouns and demonstratives