GRAMMAR
〜が早いか
no sooner than
the moment that
Explanation
NOTE
〜が早いか means the moment that — a second action follows the instant the first one happens.
ベルが鳴るが早いか、生徒たちは教室を出た。
The moment the bell rang, the students left the classroom.
NOTE
It is formal and literary. The second action is sudden, often surprising or instinctive.
彼は席に着くが早いか、眠り始めた。
The moment he sat down, he started to fall asleep.
The result clause describes a completed past action that happened almost simultaneously.
NOTE
Attach が早いか to a verb in dictionary form. The result clause is in the past tense.
STRUCTURE
V辞
が早いかドアを開けるが早いか、猫が外へ走り出した。
Doa o akeru ga hayai ka, neko ga soto e hashiridashita.
The moment I opened the door, the cat ran outside.
彼女は名前を呼ばれるが早いか、立ち上がった。
Kanojo wa namae o yobareru ga hayai ka, tachiagatta.
The moment her name was called, she stood up.
子供は母親を見るが早いか、泣き出した。
Kodomo wa hahaoya o miru ga hayai ka, nakidashita.
The moment the child saw his mother, he burst into tears.
彼は部屋に入るが早いか、荷物を置いて出ていった。
Kare wa heya ni hairu ga hayai ka, nimotsu o oite dete itta.
No sooner had he entered the room than he put down his luggage and left.
授業が終わるが早いか、学生たちは教室を飛び出した。
Jugyou ga owaru ga hayai ka, gakusei-tachi wa kyoushitsu o tobidashita.
The moment the class ended, the students rushed out of the classroom.
家に着くが早いか、彼は急いで晩御飯の準備を始めた。
Ie ni tsuku ga hayai ka, kare wa isoide bangohan no junbi o hajimeta.
No sooner had he arrived home than he started preparing dinner in a hurry.
Practice exercises
1
ベルが鳴るが早いか、みんな教室を出た。
The moment the bell rang, everyone left the classroom.
Answer
が早いか
2
彼は家に着くが早いか、眠ってしまった。
The moment he got home, he fell asleep.
Answer
が早いか
3
店が開くが早いか、客が中に入った。
The moment the store opened, customers went inside.
Answer
が早いか
4
彼は指名されるが早いか、すぐに発言し始めた。
The moment he was nominated, he immediately began to speak.
Answer
が早いか
5
彼は走り出すなり、飛び込むが早いか、倒れた。
He started running, and the moment he jumped in, he fell down.
Answer
が早いか
6
教えるそばから忘れる。教えたが早いか、次の質問だ。
He forgets it as soon as I teach it. The moment I finished teaching one thing, the next question came.
Answer
が早いか
7
会議は難航しつつある。休憩になるが早いか、席を立った。
The meeting is dragging on. The moment the break started, he stood up from his seat.
Answer
が早いか
8
異変を察知するが早いか、動物たちは逃げ出した。
The moment they sensed the anomaly, the animals all fled.
Answer
が早いか