connective N3 common politewritten
につれて — as
につれて
Meaning
- as ~ / in proportion as ~ — two changes that progress gradually together, one driving the other
Key sentence
年を取るにつれて、記憶力が落ちてきた。
As I get older, my memory has been declining.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary-form verb or noun | V(dict) / N + につれて | 進むにつれて / 時間につれて |
Variants
につれ — Clipped, slightly more formal — same meaning.
Examples
山を上るにつれて、空気が薄くなった。
As we climbed the mountain, the air grew thinner.
時間が経つにつれて、痛みは和らいでいった。
As time passed, the pain gradually eased.
When you can't use it
- Both changes must be gradual and linked. Don't use it for a one-time, instantaneous event (✗ 駅に着くにつれて), and the main clause can't be a command or intention (✗ 大きくなるにつれて勉強しなさい).
Easily confused with
にしたがって Near-synonyms for proportional change. にしたがって also covers 'in accordance with (a rule/instruction)'; につれて is purely 'as one thing changes, so does another.' 〜ば〜ほど Both express proportion. ば〜ほど repeats one verb to scale an effect ('the more ~, the more ~'); につれて links two different gradual changes across a span of time.
See につれて in real sentences
Jengo shows につれて 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.