Skip to content

N3

次第

しだい

As soon as

用意よういが出来でき次第しだい、僕ぼくに声こえをかけてください。

As soon as you get ready, please let me know.

Explanation

「次第」 has 2 uses

1As soon as

After the ます-stem: as soon as one thing is done, the next follows, common in business: 「準備ができ次第、出発します」.

準備じゅんびが出来でき次第しだい出発しゅっぱつしますよ。

We will depart as soon as you are ready.

用意よういが出来でき次第しだい、僕ぼくに声こえをかけてください。

As soon as you get ready, please let me know.

2Depends on

After a noun: 'it all depends on…': 「結果は努力次第だ」.

行いくか行いかないかは君きみ次第しだいだよ。

Whether you go or not will depend on you.

6人にんも乗のれるかは車くるまのサイズ次第しだいだね。

Whether or not 6 people can fit will depend on the size of the car.

Mixed up with

The end of the sentence can never be past tense: you cannot say 「駅に着き次第、電話した」. Past events use 「〜たら」 or 「〜と」; for the future, 「駅に着き次第、電話します」 is correct.

Typical business mail: 「分かり次第お知らせします」 (I will let you know as soon as I find out).

Examples

1As soon as

  1. ミュージカルが終おわり次第しだい、連絡れんらくをください。

    Please call me as soon as the musical ends.

  2. 待まち合あわせ場所ばしょに到着とうちゃくし次第しだい、私わたしに連絡れんらくしてください。

    Please give me a call as soon as you arrive at the meet up spot.

2Depends on

  1. 行いくか行いかないかは君きみ次第しだいだよ。

    Whether you go or not will depend on you.

  2. 6人にんも乗のれるかは車くるまのサイズ次第しだいだね。

    Whether or not 6 people can fit will depend on the size of the car.

Tested 2 times in past papers

N2 · Jul 2015, Q37N2 · Jul 2013, Q37