How to solve grammar tests / と .. た or と 。。。 て い た

Author Hazakura

(I) The terribility of ~ と

と itself has 5 different meanings.

That’s why it’s a common thing to feel messed up when thinking of ~ と.

That’s the common feeling of all people who are on their way to conquer Japanese !

For A と B

• If B ends in the present tense, と is performing the meaning of “If ..then”.
• But if B ends in the past tense (～ た ・ ～ て い た), と is representing the meaning When A then B.

(1) ～と – if and ～と – When

と – If…then

このボタンを押すと、コカ・コーラが出てくる。 ＝If you press this button, the soft drink comes out.

This is と – If…then.

と – When A then B

窓を開けると、真っ白な景色だった。 ＝When I opened the door, I saw a white snow scenery.

The next difficulty is when と performs the meaning When A then B, with B ends in past tense, と again has 3 different faces.

(2) Three different faces of と – When A then B

(1) The “When A then B” of と emphasizes the pre-existence of B.

着 く と 、 彼女 は も う 来 て い た。 = When I arrived (A) I saw she had come (B).

This と means she had existed in that place for a long time. And then, when I arrived, her existence caught my eye.

In this sense, most of the B ended up ～ ていた. Though there are also cases where B ends with た.

(2) The “When A then B” of と emphasizes the coincidence of action B.

夜 12 時 ご ろ テ レ ビ を 見 て い る と 、 電話 が か か っ て き た。 = When I was watching TV at 12 o’clock at night, suddenly the phone rang.

This と ends with た emphasizes on the suddenness of action B.

(3) The “When A then B” of と emphasizes that action B occurs immediately right after action A

そ の 子 は 私 の 顔 を 見 る と 、 す ぐ に 逃 げ て し ま っ た。 =When that boy saw me, he immediately ran away.

This is と pressing on the “immediately”. B ends in the た form.

(4) The “When A then B” of と emphasize on some new invention that arises by trying doing A

料理 に ち ょ っ と お 酒 を 入 れ て み る と い い に お い に な っ た。 = When I put alcohol in my test dish, a delicious taste appeared.

This と focuses on an invention, a new taste that occurs after trying putting alcohol in this dish. B ends in ta form.

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Here is a tip for you Among these 5 meanings, only case 1- when と emphasizes the pre-existence of B; the B ends with てい た. For the remaining cases, B ends with た.

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（II) How to solve all tests with と… た or と…. て い た

The key is B.

(1) Point 1: Check if B is a sudden action

Some signal of sudden action are 偶然 、 突然. If yes, select と…た and remove と…. て い た

コ ー ヒ シ ョ ッ プ で A さ ん の 噂 を し て い る と 、 突然 A さ ん が 入 っ て き た。 ＝ When I was making a rumour about A san at the cafe shop, A san suddenly appeared.

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A と, B た = When doing A, then suddenly B occured

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(2) Point 2: Check if B is an immediate action after A

Note the signal : す ぐ

If yes, select と…た

先生 は 教室 に 入 っ て く る と 、 す ぐ 試 験 問題 を 配 り 始 め 始 め た。 = When he entered the classroom, he immediately handed out the exam papers.

先生 は 教室 に 入 っ て く る と 、 す ぐ 試 験 問題 を 配 り 始 め 始 め ていた X

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A と, B た = When doing A, immediately do B

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(3) Point 3: Check if B is a new thing that happened because of A

If yes, select と…た

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A と, B た =When trying doing A, then new B happened.

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お も ち ゃ を 振 っ て み る と 、 い い 音 が し た = When I try to shake the toy, a good sound comes out.

お も ち ゃ を 振 っ て み る と 、 い い 音 が し た. X

(4) Point 4: Check if B is a pre-existing one.

When I am doing A, I see the B. The B had existed before, and now my eye caught it.

If yes, choose と。。。ていた

時 計 を 見 る と 、 も う 12 時 を 過 ぎ て い た = When I look at the clock I see it’s past 12 o’clock.

時 計 を 見 る と 、 も う 12 時 を 過 ぎ た。　 Not natural