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The present tense short form of a predicate+ と means
whenever a situation described
by the predicate holds, another thing happens.
In most と sentences, the first
clause describes the cause, and the second the effect. |
私はその人と話すと
元気になる。 |
Whenever I talk with that person,
I feel uplifted. |
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watashi-wa sono hito-to hanasu to,
genki-ni naru. |
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| 道が込んでいると時間がかかる。 |
Whenever the streets are crowded, it takes longer to get
there. |
| michi-ga konde-iru to, jikan-ga kakaru. |
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| clause A (short, present) to clause B |
Form:
Whenever A happens, B happens too. |
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Sometimes, a to sentence describes a
cause-effect relationship between specific events. |
メアリーさんが国に帰ると
さびしくなります。 |
If Mary goes back home, we will be sad and
lonely. |
mearii-san-ga kuni-ni kaeru to
sabishiku narimasu. |
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While the clause that comes before to is
always in the present tense,
the second clause can be in the present or in the past
tense. |
私は子供の時、冬になると
風邪をひきました。 |
When I was young, whenever winter arrived, I
caught a cold. |
watashi0wa kodomo-no toki, fuyu-ni naru to
kaze-o hikimashita. |
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The event described by the second clause must follow the
event described in the first half of the sentence.
Thus it is wrong to say: |
私はその人と話すと
喫茶店に行きます。 |
Whenever I talk with that person,
we go to a coffee shop. |
watashi-wa sono hito-to hanasu to,
kissaten-ni ikimasu. |
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If you want an adjective idea in the second clause, it is
usually expressed as a change.
It is very common therefore to find in the second clause an
i-adjective base + ku-naru,
and a na-adjective base +
ni-naru (see Lesson
10 for adjective + naru). |
| 秋になると木が赤くなります。 |
Whenever fall arrives, trees turn red. |
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aki-ni naru to, ki-ga akaku narimasu. |
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| 夜になると町が静かになります。 |
Whenever night comes, the town becomes quiet. |
| yoru-ni naru to, machi-ga shizuka-ni narimasu. |
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