Meaning
～そばから is used to describe a situation where, as soon as something happens, something else immediately follows — often something that undoes the first action. It typically expresses a repeated cycle, especially when something is done over and over again but is undone just as quickly.
Translation: “As soon as… / The moment… / No sooner than…”
Form
- Verb (dictionary form) + そばから
- Verb (past form) + そばから
However, the verb is almost always in dictionary or past tense. It’s not used with nouns or adjectives.
Usage & Nuance
This grammar point is often used in situations where something is done (e.g. fixing, organizing, teaching), but that action is quickly undone or becomes meaningless because of an immediate counter-action. It expresses a sense of futility or frustration.
Example Sentences
- 掃除するそばから、子供たちが部屋を散らかす。
Souji suru soba kara, kodomotachi ga heya o chirakasu.
As soon as I clean the room, the kids mess it up again. - 新しい情報を教えるそばから、彼は忘れてしまう。
Atarashii jouhou o oshieru soba kara, kare wa wasurete shimau.
No sooner do I teach him new information than he forgets it. - 読んだそばから内容を忘れてしまうので、何度も読み直さなければならない。
Yonda soba kara naiyou o wasurete shimau node, nando mo yominaosanakereba naranai.
I forget the content right after I read it, so I have to reread it many times. - 入力したそばからデータが消えるなんて、バグに違いない。
Nyuuryoku shita soba kara deeta ga kieru nante, bagu ni chigainai.
The data disappears as soon as I enter it — it must be a bug. - 言ったそばから後悔した。
Itta soba kara koukai shita.
I regretted it the moment I said it.
Common Contexts
- Cleaning and getting dirty again
- Teaching someone who forgets quickly
- Making efforts that get immediately undone
Grammar Tip
～そばから tends to be used more in written or formal Japanese than in casual conversations. It also often appears in newspaper articles, essays, and literature.
Similar Grammar
- ～が早いか: emphasizes immediacy like ～そばから, but doesn’t necessarily have the repetitive/futile nuance.
- ～や否や: also means “as soon as,” often interchangeable depending on context, but ～や否や is more literary.
