JLPT N3 Grammar – “〜途中で” and “〜うちに”

Table of Contents

1. Difference between “〜途中とちゅうで” and “〜うちに”
2. 〜途中とちゅうで
3. 〜うちに
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment

Q: Are there any differences in grammar between”〜途中とちゅうで” and “〜うちに”?

A: The difference in usage between these two grammatical expressions lies in the timing aspect.

〜途中とちゅうで (JLPT N3)

The grammar of “〜途中とちゅうで” expresses a situation where the first state hasn’t yet ended, and something else happens or changes in the second state.
For example, in the initial statement, the speaker’s condition is described, and in the following statement, that condition changes or something happens.
What’s important is that at the point when the first state hasn’t ended, something else occurs.
In the second state, the speaker may take different actions or unintended events may happen. As a result, the initial state may temporarily pause or the speaker’s awareness may shift.

[Rule]
[V] Verb dictionary form＋途中とちゅうで
[N] Noun+の＋途中とちゅうで

[Examples]　
[V] いつも駅えきに行いく途中とちゅうでコンビニに行いきます。
I always stop by the convenience store on my way to the station.
⇒ The first action is “going to the station,” while the second action is “going to the convenience store,” indicating two different actions.

[N] 日本にほん語ごの勉強べんきょうの途中とちゅうで、家いえに誰だれかが来きました。
Someone came to my house while I was studying Japanese.
⇒ Someone came, temporarily interrupting the Japanese language study.

[N] 山登やまのぼりの途中とちゅうで雨あめが降ふってきました。
It started raining while I was climbing the mountain.
⇒ The rain started falling, prompting a change in awareness.

〜うちに (JLPT N3)

The initial statement describes a continuous state, while the subsequent one illustrates something that naturally changed during that initial state or occurred unnoticed. Unlike “〜途中とちゅうで”, in this case, the initial state isn’t temporarily halted or the speaker’s awareness isn’t affected by the subsequent event.　　

[Rule]
[V] Verb dictionary form / negative form + うちに
[N] Noun + の + うちに

[Examples]　
[V] 山登やまのぼりしているうちに夜よるになってしまいました。
It became night while I was climbing the mountain.
⇒ While mountain climbing, it became nighttime without realizing it.

[V] 日本にほん語ごを勉強べんきょうしているうちに、漢字かんじが分わかるようになりました。
While studying Japanese, I gradually began to understand kanji.
⇒ While studying Japanese, the speaker became able to understand kanji without even noticing.

Summary

The difference between “〜途中とちゅうで” and “〜うちに” lies in when the next action or event occurs within the context of the initial state mentioned in the first clause.

Use “〜途中とちゅうで” when the initial state is temporarily interrupted or there is a change in consciousness, and use “〜うちに” when the initial state continues and something unnoticed occurs.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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