ないうちに (nai uchi ni) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Before It Becomes
Anna Baffa Volpe
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Anna Baffa Volpe
5 min reading time
The expression ないうちに (nai uchi ni) means before it becomes, before it occurs, without.
This structure is used with the plain negative form expressed by the suffix ない.
We'll also see the comparison between ないうちに and 前に, the difference in structure and nuance of meaning.
How ないうちに is formed
ないうちに is an expression commonly used in Japanese everyday life.
It is formed by:
- ない the suffix of the plain negative form used for this structure
- the noun 内 meaning
inside,within,between; it has spatial and temporal value - the particle に
⇨ while it does not happen, before it happens
Verbs commonly used with the structure ないうちに:
- 気がつかないうちに: before I notice it, without me noticing
- 知らないうちに: without realizing it, before I realize, before I know it, before I knew it
- 忘れないうちに: before I forget
Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
気付かないうちに起こる。
It happens before you realize it.
How and when ないうちに is used
ないうちに is a structure that literally translated means while the action does not occur.
ないうちに expresses the time within something must not occur, otherwise it will cause something unpleasant, something annoying, something we consider negative.
While action A (considered negative) does not occur, we perform action B.
Please drink the soup before it gets cold.
The meaning is as long as A (the soup getting cold) does not occur, we perform action B (we drink the soup).
Let's analyze some uses of this expression.
ないうちに: before something happens
Before action A (of negative significance) occurs, we perform action B and have a positive result, a benefit.
チャンスを逃さないうちに行動しよう。
Let's take action before we miss the opportunity.
- 夜が明けないうちに:
before dawn
It literally means: the time when the night has not broken, before the night breaks
彼が来ないうちに出かけよう。
Let's go out before he comes.
ないうちに: before something ends
Again, before the action expressed by sentence A terminates, we act with sentence B and will have advantages.
花が枯れないうちに写真を撮っておこう。
Let's take photos of the flowers before they wither.
お金を使い切らないうちに貯めよう。
Let's save money before we spend it all.
ないうちに and 前に
ないうちに and 前に are for the most part interchangeable, but have a difference in structure and nuance of meaning.
- 前に is preceded by the verb in the plain affirmative form
- ないうちに uses the verb in the negative plane form and is generally used in negative, unprofitable and unfavourable situations
Let's go shopping before it rains.
We can use 前に and say:
Let's go shopping before it rains.
Link to learn or review the structure using 前に: mae ni.
Examples of ないうちに
気がつかないうちに嗜癖している。
Being addicted without realizing it.
『コーヒーが冷めないうちに』
'Before the coffee gets cold'
勉強に夢中になって、知らないうちに日が暮れていた。
I was so absorbed in my studies that before I knew it, the sun was setting.
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