Structure
Verb［ます］+ ながら
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About ながら
ながら is another conjunction particle in Japanese that has two primary different meanings. These meanings are as follows:
同時の動き - Two things that are existing/happening simultaneously.
確定の逆説 - Two things that are unexpectedly existing/happening simultaneously.
We will focus purely on the 同時の動き meaning in this grammar point. To use ながら, simply add it to the ます stem of verb (A), and then highlight verb (B) as part of the following clause. This may be translated simply as 'while' in English.
Grammatically, the (B) action is considered to be the 'important' action, while the (A) action expresses the timeline within which (B) takes place.
Caution
Due to the (B) action being considered the 'primary' action of something that (A) is related to, (A) and (B) must have the same subject.
- 高校の頃はサッカーの練習をしながら漢字の勉強もした。When I was in high school, I studied kanji while also practicing soccer. (Natural Japanese, as the overall timeline of the sentence is 'while in high school')
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漢字の勉強をしながらアニメを見る。I watch anime while studying kanji. (Natural Japanese, as the speaker is doing both things at the same time)
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大学に通いながら、トランプ氏がアメリカの大統領だった。Trump was the president of America while I was going to university. (Unnatural Japanese. Although the events happen at the same time, they share no common subject/place)
Fun Fact
When used to express 確定の逆説, ながら will be followed by も. ながらも is a separate grammar point that we will learn more about later. In this construction, も is expressing surprise about the fact that (A) and (B) coexist.
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あそこの病院は古いながらも中は綺麗だと聞いた。I heard that that hospital looks nice inside, even though it is old.
Synonyms
ているあいだに
While, During the time that ~
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の間に
While, During, Between, Period
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とき
When, At the time of
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中
During, While, Throughout, In the process of
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うちに
While, During
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ついでに
While you are at it, On the occasion
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ているところだ
In the process of doing ~ right now/at this moment
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つつ
While, And
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かたわら
While, Besides, In addition to
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がてら
On the occasion of, While … as well, While … (one is) at it, During, Along the way
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がてら
On the occasion of, While … as well, While … (one is) at it, During, Along the way
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つつある
-ing, Be -ing
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つつある
-ing, Be -ing
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Examples
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シャワーを浴びながらいいアイディアを思いついた。
While showering, I thought of a good idea.
赤ちゃんが寝ながら、おならをした。
The baby farted while sleeping.
バスに乗りながら、スマホでゲームをしている。
I am playing games on my phone, while riding the bus.
友達を待ちながら、コーヒーを飲もう。
Let's get coffee while waiting for our friends.
運転しながら携帯を使ってはいけない。
You must not use a cellphone while driving.
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ながら – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (10 in total)
deltacat3
@Pushindawood Once again thank you kindly! Helpful as always!
deltacat3
Apologies I have another question already ごめんね！
シャドーイングとは日本語を聞きながら、繰り返すことだ。
Shadowing is repeating what you hear while listening to Japanese.What is the particle と expressing here?
Pushindawood
@deltacat3 No problem! This is actually a grammar point that comes a bit later and is not just と, but the combination of と and は to make とは. “とは” means… well, “means,” and is a contraction of というのは. Perhaps a better translation for this sentence would be “Shadowing means…” or “Shadowing is the thing known as…” I apologize for the confusion. Here is our lesson on というのは and here is a video with a breakdown and some more examples. Cheers!
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