While still A, must do B
Impermanence in ~ う ち に (1)
JLPT N3 Grammar
Author: Hazakura (Diep Anh Dao)
うちに is a “dangerous” grammar points in Japanese. For 2 reasons,
First, うちに itself has 2 different meanings and usages. This way, it often leads us to the matrix of the two meanings.
Second, many other grammar points have similar meaning with うちに in Japanese, we can say 間・間に・てからでないと、etc. That way, it leads us to another matrix of how to escape from うちに・間・間に・てからでないと!
Mastering うちに means knowing how to escape from the above 2 matrix !
First, let’s take a look at the 2 usuages of ～う ち に
Usage 1: While still A, must do B
Formed by A う ち に, B (volitional verb). This is う ち に (1)
Usage 2: While A, B happened before I knew.
Formed by A う ち に B (non-volitional verb) This is う ち に (2)
Now let’s start to learn the first usuage of うちに。
～ う ち に (1)。While still A, must do B
In general
A う ち に (1) has the equivalent English phrase “While still A “.
- 明 る い う ち に, means While it is still bright .
- 日本 に い る う ち に, means While still in Japan .
Speaking of the meaning of “While ~”, there are many grammar points that are also translated into “While ~”, such as 間 に, な が ら, う ち に, and so on.
However, the striking difference of ～ う ち に, distinguishing it from other similar grammar points is in the word “still” (in the phrase “while still ~”).
The word “still” of う ち に indicates that the state A has a limited time, it will quickly change to state A’- the opposite of A. In other words, it alarms an impermanence in A.
- While it is still bright (明 る い う ち に), means It will be dark soon
- While still in Japan (= 春 の う ち に), means Someday you will leave Japan!
After having outlined a limited time of A, the sentence will continue by asserting the need of action B.
A う ち に 、 B = Must do B while still A
For example
- While it’s still bright, let’s go home!
= 明 る い う ち に 帰 ろ う！
At the same time, it also revealed a fear: “It will be dark and we won’t be able to go home!“
Or like,
- While the criminals has not still returned, run !
= 犯人 が い な い う ち に 逃 げ よ う。
It’s to open the trailer for fear. Criminals will be back soon and we won’t be able to run anymore!
So, how to use う ち に (1) to express the meaning “Must do B while still A“?
How to form
A う ち に (1) B, then:
- For B, needs to be volitonal verb, often ending with ～ く だ さ い, or ～ ま し ょ う / ～ ま せ ん か.
- For A, if it is a verb, we can only use る / て い る / な い form (not accept the た form). Adjective – i have い, adjective – na have な. Noun plus の.Example,
a/ While the ice cream is still not melting, eat it!
This sentence has a warning that the state of the ice cream will be changed soon (from hard to melt) and the need to Eat – action B. So we use う ち に.
We have :
- Ice cream is still not melted = ア イ ス ク リ ー ム が 溶 け な い
- Please eat = 食 べ て く だ さ い
- While still = う ち にSo the sentence is
ア イ ス ク リ ー ム が 溶 け な い う ち に 食 べ て く だ さ い。
Similarly,
- While still in Japan, I will go to Fuji-san once.
= 日本 に い る う ち に 、 富士山 に 行 っ て み た い。
In conclusion, the feature that distinguishes ～ う ち に (1) from the other similar grammars like 間、etc is that ～ う ち に (1) emphasizes that action B must be performed in state A, before it goes into state A ‘.
～ う ち に alarms the impermanence that comes in A.
More examples
1 / 忘 れ な い う ち に 見 た こ と を メ モ し て お い た ほ う が い い。
= While still not forgotten, it is better to note what you’ve seen.
2 / ト マ ト は ま だ 青 い う ち に 収穫 し ま す。
= I will harvest tomatoes while the fruit is still green.
3 / 独 人 の う ち に 友 達 と 海外 旅行 に 行 き た い。
= I want to travel abroad with friends while I’m still single.
4 / 春 休 み の う ち に 免 許 を 取 り た い。
= I want to get a driver’s license while I’m still on spring break.
5 / 大学生 の う ち に や り た い こ と は 何 で も や り な さ い。
= Do whatever you want to do while you’re still a student.
That’s all related to the first usuage of ～ う ち に
- While still A, MUST do B.
With A う ち に B (volitional verbe).
～ う ち に still have the other usuage in うちに2
- “While A, B happens before I knew “.
When the grammar points うちに is performing the usuage of うちに(1), B is a volitional verb.
When it performs the usuage of うちに(2), B is a non-volitional verb.
We will examine う ち に (2) in the next chapter.
From : Hazakura (Diep Anh Dao)
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