次第 — The Moment It's Done
Indicates that an action will take place immediately after another action is completed — 'as soon as' or 'the moment (it) finishes'. It is a formal expression, common in business, and the second clause cannot describe a past event.
Structure
[Verb ます-stem] + 次第 / [Noun (of action)] + 次第
Examples
詳細が分かり次第、ご連絡いたします。
Shousai ga wakari shidai, gorenraku itashimasu.
As soon as the details are clear, I will contact you.
Verb ます-stem 分かり + 次第 marks immediate action once details are known.
現地に到着次第、電話します。
Genchi ni touchaku shidai, denwa shimasu.
I'll call as soon as I arrive on site.
Action noun 到着 + 次第 works directly without する for 'as soon as arriving'.
準備ができ次第、始めましょう。
Junbi ga deki shidai, hajimemashou.
Let's start as soon as preparations are ready.
ます-stem でき + 次第 signals the next action begins the instant preparation ends.
• The main clause must be future/volitional — never a completed past event. • Register: formal/business; polite emails favor it heavily. • Don't confuse this time usage with 次第だ／次第で ('depending on').
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones 次第 is tested against.
vs たら
たら is a casual all-purpose 'when/after' allowing past results; 次第 is formal, future-only, and stresses 'the very instant'.
vs 次第だ／次第で
This 次第 attaches to a ます-stem for 'as soon as', while 次第だ／次第で attaches to a noun for 'depending on'.
More time expressions
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