Structure
Verb［ます］+ がけに
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About がけに
Although not used much in modern Japanese, the suffix 掛け 'support', or 'hanger' followed by に may occasionally appear after the ます-stem of verbs. When seen used this way, 掛けに simply means 'on the way', 'as you go', or 'while doing (A)'. (B) may just be considered as something done while doing (A), or as being done specifically because (A) is a good opportunity to do it.
This structure may be used either with or without kanji, so it will be important to remember both.
Fun-fact
掛ける is one of the more difficult verbs in Japanese, as it does not have an exact counterpart in English. However, in most cases it just means to lay, extend, or place something across either a physical or metaphorical surface or span. In this way, it may help to remember (A) as the span from which (B) will occur.
Synonyms
Examples
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女の子の噂話：「さっきあいつ、来掛けに妙なことを言ってたね。」
Girls gossiping: 'Just now, on the way here, that dude was saying weird things.'
友達との話：「帰り掛けにタイコさんを誘って一緒に戻ろうか。」
Chat between friends: 'Do you want to invite Taiko on the way home, and go back together?'
先生は生徒と話している：「タカスさん、このプリントを帰り掛けにアイサカさんに持って行ってください。」
A teacher is talking with a student: 'Takasu, please bring this handout to Aisaka on the way home.'
ライトノベル：「彼はスーパーへの行き掛けに何かを思い出したように突然止まり速く家に帰った。」
Light novel: 'He suddenly stopped as if he remembered something on his way to the supermarket and quickly returned home.'
病気の友達の見舞いに行く時、友達との話：「病院への行き掛けに花屋に寄って花束を買おう。」
Visiting a sick friend, chat between friends: 'Let's drop by the florist on the way to the hospital, and buy a bouquet.'
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がけに – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
Hadros232232
What is the difference between がけに and ついでに?
Pushindawood
It might be easier to think of 掛けに as an old-fashioned 途中で as they are almost always interchangeable. Now, what differs between 途中で and ついでに is the order in which actions are performed. Let’s look at some examples to see how they are both interpreted:
「コンビニに行ったついでに本屋に寄った。」
This sentence can either mean “I went to the convenience store and the bookstore” or “I went to the bookstore and the convenience store.” This is why ついでに is often interpreted as “while you’re at it” with no clear way to tell which action was performed first (it is irrelevant).「コンビニに行く途中で本屋に寄った。」
This sentence can only mean “I stopped by the bookstore on the way to the convenience store.” The speaker is expressing that they went to the bookstore first and then went to the convenience store. This is why the kanji in 掛けに (掛) can be interpreted as “in the midst of.”I hope this helps! Cheers.
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