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Usage of 時

Chouchoo

後輩
20 Nov 2011
10
0
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Hello :)

I would like to discuss how to use the word 時 when something happens/happened. I am very confused in it, not as much as I was before, it's getting clear, but I still have some questions left.

犬が病気の時、病院に連れていきました。Which means "I took the dog to a vet when it was sick." Does 「犬が病気だった時、病院に連れていく」mean the same?

The other sentences that makes me confused is, when both of the times are in present.
チベットに行く時、ビザを取ります。 Which means, "I will get the visa issued, when I go to Tibet." So going to Tibet will happen later.
元気な時、公園に走ります。 Which means "I jog in the park when I feel fit". But here, feeling fit happens before the jogging happens. So how do I know which happened here before/after? It could also mean, "I went jogging, and then I felt myself fitter"...

Thank you very much for your help! :)
 
犬が病気の時、病院に連れていきました。Which means "I took the dog to a vet when it was sick." Does 「犬が病気だった時、病院に連れていく」mean the same?
If it's the past tense 連れていった/いきました, yes, those are the same.

元気な時、公園に走ります。 Which means "I jog in the park when I feel fit". But here, feeling fit happens before the jogging happens. So how do I know which happened here before/after? It could also mean, "I went jogging, and then I felt myself fitter"...
元気な時、公園を/で走ります。
(公園に走ります means "I run/jog to the park".)

Unlike an action/a movement like チベットに行く, 元気 and 病気 are a state. When the とき clause expresses a state, the event that is expressed in the main clause is occurred during the state. Thus, you run in the park not before nor after you feel fit, but while you are feeling fit.
 
Tori basically summed it up, but the word 時 doesn't really change in meaning at all. Just the time frame of the sentence is different. The same applies in English.
 
So, you mean you can see a difference between 外出しているときに、泥棒に入られた and 外出している間に、泥棒に入られた?
 
Sorry for my late reply!

Well, I discussed the whole 時 sentences again, and well, I am starting to understand them. I realized that they can happen at the same time as well! For example: 寂しい時、友達に電話します。

I also realized that how it is used. The clause before the 時 just "marks" the time when it happened/will happen. So, if it is in present, it means it happened at the same time, or it happened later. If it is in past, it means it happened before the second clause. I don't know why, but this was the hardest grammer part in my whole language learning experiences!

Hehe. Thank you so much Toritobe and Anchann for your help! :)
 
Keep in mind that it can also be used to express habitual actions as well as specific one-time actions/occurrences.
 
So, if it is in present, it means it happened at the same time, or it happened later. If it is in past, it means it happened before the second clause.
This is the only misunderstanding.
When the とき clause expresses a state and the main clause is one-time action or habit in the past, you can use both the present and past tense in the とき clause. That's why 犬が病気だった時、病院に連れていきました is correct as same as 犬が病気の時、病院に連れていきました in the first example. You need to pay attention also to what the とき clause expresses besides the tense of it.;-)
 
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