間 (あいだ) — Throughout a Duration
Expresses that an action or state continues throughout the ENTIRE span of another event. Both clauses run in parallel for the whole period.
Structure
[Verb ている / い-adj / Noun + の] + 間
Examples
子供が寝ている間、仕事をしていた。
Kodomo ga nete iru aida, shigoto o shite ita.
I was working the entire time the child was sleeping.
Both actions (sleeping and working) run in parallel from start to finish.
電車に乗っている間、ずっと音楽を聞いていました。
Densha ni notte iru aida, zutto ongaku o kiite imashita.
I was listening to music the whole time I was on the train.
乗っている間 + ずっと聞いていた — both actions run in parallel for the entire ride.
夏休みの間、毎日プールで泳ぎました。
Natsuyasumi no aida, mainichi puuru de oyogimashita.
Throughout the summer vacation, I swam in the pool every day.
Noun + の + 間 (夏休みの間): the daily swimming spans the whole vacation period.
• Parallel state: Since 間 covers a whole span, the main clause must also be a continuous action/state (していた), not a one-moment event. • Nouns take の: 夏休みの間 (throughout the summer vacation).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 間 is tested against.
vs 間に
間 = the action lasts the WHOLE duration (parallel); 間に = a one-time event happens at SOME point within the duration.
vs うちに
うちに carries a nuance of 'before the state changes / while you still can' (temperature, opportunity); 間 is a neutral 'throughout the whole time'.
More time expressions
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