connective N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜そばから — no sooner than ~
〜そばから ・ そばから
Meaning
- no sooner ~ than / as fast as ~ — a repeated, often frustrating cycle where the second action keeps undoing the first
Key sentence
習ったそばから忘れてしまう。
I forget things as soon as I learn them.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (dictionary form or た) | V-る / V-た + そばから, （両節とも反復的） | 拭くそばから汚れる |
When: Speech and writing; conveys exasperation at a futile, recurring cycle.
Examples
片付けるそばから子どもが散らかす。
No sooner do I tidy up than the kids make a mess again.
注意するそばから、また同じ間違いをする。
As fast as I warn them, they make the same mistake all over again.
When you can't use it
- Implies *repetition* — the same pair recurs (memorize → forget). For a single one-off sequence use たとたん or が早いか.
Easily confused with
See 〜そばから in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜そばから the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.