connective N2 uncommon writtenliterary
つつ — while ~ing
つつ
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- while ~ing — two actions by the same person at the same time (literary equivalent of ながら)
Key sentence
彼は本を読みつつ、お茶を飲んだ。
He drank tea while reading a book.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ます-stem) | V-stem + つつ | 歩く → 歩きつつ、考える → 考えつつ |
When: Written and literary. In speech, use ながら.
Examples
景色を眺めつつ、彼女は物思いにふけった。
Gazing at the scenery, she lost herself in thought.
過去を振り返りつつ、未来を語る。
Looking back on the past, he speaks of the future.
彼は迷いつつも、最後には決断を下した。
Though hesitating, he finally made the decision.
When you can't use it
- Both actions must belong to the same subject. For two different people acting at once, use 間 or while-clauses, not つつ.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Adding も — つつも — shifts the meaning to concessive 'even though / despite ~ing' (悪いと知りつつも 'even though knowing it was wrong'), as in the third example above.
See つつ in real sentences
Jengo shows つつ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in Jengo