～か～ないかのうちに (〜ka〜naika no uchi ni)
Explanation
Expresses an action that occurs immediately after another action; 'as soon as', 'no sooner than', 'the moment'.
Formation
Verb-casual + か + Verb-negative form + かのうちに
Detailed Explanation
The ～か～ないかのうちに grammar point is used to express that an action occurs immediately after another action. In English, it can be translated as 'as soon as', 'no sooner than', or 'the moment'. This grammar point is used with verbs, showing the verb in both affirmative and negative forms with か and ないか, followed by のうちに.
Examples
駅に着くか着かないかのうちに、雨が降り出した。
Eki ni tsuku ka tsukanai ka no uchi ni, ame ga furidashita.
No sooner had I arrived at the station than it started raining.
ケータイを買うか買わないかのうちに、新しいモデルが発売された。
Keitai o kau ka kawanai ka no uchi ni, atarashii moderu ga hatsubai sareta.
As soon as I decided to buy the cell phone, a new model was released.
彼が家を出るか出ないかのうちに、電話が鳴った。
Kare ga ie o deru ka denai ka no uchi ni, denwa ga natta.
The moment he left the house, the phone rang.
パーティーが始まるか始まらないかのうちに、彼女が泣き出した。
Pātī ga hajimaru ka hajimaranai ka no uchi ni, kanojo ga nakidashita.
As soon as the party began, she started crying.
Grammar content sourced from hanabira.org.