～たかと思ったら (〜ta ka to omottara)
Explanation
Express a sequence of events happening in quick succession; 'as soon as', 'no sooner than'.
Formation
Verb-た form + かと思ったら
Detailed Explanation
The ～たかと思ったら grammar point indicates that one action occurs almost immediately after another, often conveying surprise at how quickly it happens. It is frequently translated as 'as soon as...' or 'no sooner than...'.
Examples
電話をかけたかと思ったら、すぐに彼女が出た。
Denwa o kaketa ka to omottara, sugu ni kanojo ga deta.
No sooner had I called than she picked up.
離陸したかと思ったら、飛行機が揺れ始めた。
Ririku shita ka to omottara, hikouki ga yure hajimeta.
As soon as we took off, the plane started shaking.
買い物に行ったかと思ったら、雨が降ってきた。
Kaimono ni itta ka to omottara, ame ga futte kita.
No sooner had I gone shopping than it began to rain.
仕事を終わったかと思ったら、上司が追加の仕事を持ってきた。
Shigoto o owatta ka to omottara, joushi ga tsuika no shigoto o motte kita.
As soon as I finished work, my boss brought more tasks.
Grammar content sourced from hanabira.org.