connective N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten
〜かと思えば — just when one thought ~ / no sooner... than
〜かと思えば ・ かとおもえば
Builds on 〜かと思うと
Meaning
- just when one thought ~ / no sooner... than — the ば-form variant of 〜かと思うと
Key sentence
泣いていたかと思えば、もう笑っている。
One moment she was crying, and the next she's already laughing.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain past / た-form) | V-た + かと思えば | 降り出した → 降り出したかと思えば |
Easily confused with
Notes
- Full treatment lives at 〜かと思うと — this page is the ば-form spelling of the same point. The fixed そうかと思えば opens a 'then again / on the other hand' contrast.
See 〜かと思えば in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜かと思えば the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.