NihonGo
Unit 44Phase L · Finale

〜とき

“When …” — describing a moment

ときjust a noun

とき = “time”. You describe it with a sentence in front — Phase L's rule.

たべる とき

な・のhow things attach

な-adjectives take な, nouns take の. Verbs and い-adjectives stay plain.

ひまな とき・こどもの とき

る／たtense = timing

いく とき = before / on the way. いった とき = after arriving.

いく とき ↔ いった とき

ひまな とき、 なにを しますか。

えいがを みます！

Step 1

〜とき

“when …”

ときmeans “time” — and it's just a noun, so everything you learned in Units 42–43 applies: describe it with a sentence in front. The only new detail is how things attach: な-adjectives take な, nouns take の. 🔊 Tap to hear.

〜る／〜い／〜な／Nのdescribing part
+
ときwhen …
+
〜。what happens
。

とき means “time”, and it’s just a noun — so you describe it with a sentence in front, exactly like Phase L taught you. Verbs and い-adjectives attach in the plain form; な-adjectives take な; nouns take の.

Step 2

いく とき・いった とき

the timing nuance

Here's the elegant part: the form before とき tells you the timing. いく とき— the going hasn't finished yet (on the way, before). いった とき— it already happened (you're there). Same trip, two moments. 🔊 Tap to hear.

いくbefore / on the way
+
いったafter arriving
+
ときwhen
。

The form before とき tells you WHERE in the story you are. る-form: the action hasn’t happened yet at that moment (on the way, before). た-form: it already happened (after). Same trip, different moment:

Step 3

Phase L まとめ

the wrap-up quiz

Ten questions across everything in Phase L — inner particles, plain-form modifiers (watch for the ました traps!) and とき.

Question 1 / 10 · 0 correct

fill the blankわたし◯ すんでいる まちです。the town where I live
← Beginner Japanese index