connective N2 common casualpolitewritten
とともに — together with
とともに
Meaning
① accompaniment: together with ~ / along with ~ — does something jointly with, or in the company of, another
② parallel change: as ~ / along with ~ — a second change unfolds in step with the first
Key sentence
① accompaniment
家族とともに、新しい生活を始めた。
Together with my family, I started a new life.
② parallel change
時代の変化とともに、人々の価値観も変わった。
As the times changed, people's values changed too.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun + とともに (parallel-change sense also Vる + とともに) | N / Vる + とともに | 成長とともに / 年を取るとともに |
Examples
① accompaniment
仲間とともに、目標の達成を喜んだ。
Along with my comrades, I rejoiced at reaching our goal.
② parallel change
経済の発展とともに、環境問題が深刻になった。
Along with economic growth, environmental problems grew serious.
Easily confused with
Notes
- More formal/written than 一緒に for the accompaniment sense. The parallel-change use overlaps につれて / に伴って but is somewhat more literary.
See とともに in real sentences
Jengo shows とともに 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.