間・あいだ(に) (aida ni)
Over the course of an action or time span; while something is happening
Meaning & usage
間 marks the stretch of time during which something happens, meaning while or for the course of that period. It follows nouns with の as in 休みの間, follows verbs in plain form including negative forms as in 来ない間 and 読んでいる間, and follows length expressions as in 長い間. Adding に as in 間に points to something happening at a moment inside that span, while 間 without に often describes what continues across the whole span.
Example sentences 5
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どれくらいの間そこにあるんですか？
How long has that been there?
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あなたはどれくらいの間サッカーをやっていますか。
How long have you played soccer?
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しかし男の子は長い間来ませんでした。
But the boy stayed away for a long time.
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休みの間は何もしなかったよ。
I did nothing during the holidays.
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本を読んでいる間に眠ってしまった。
While reading a book, I fell asleep.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 4 past exam questions.
