Explanation
〜が早いか means "as soon as / no sooner than". Form: [dictionary/ta form] + が早いか. It emphasises near-simultaneity.
Usage: Emphasises that the second action happened almost instantly after the first. It often appears in narrative writing.
Formation: Verb dictionary form + が早いか.
Usage & nuance: 〜が早いか says that as soon as one thing happened, another followed immediately, with a sense of surprise. It suits written narrative.
Compare: 〜が早いか and 〜やいなや are literary as soon as, 〜とたんに highlights the instant, and 〜なり marks an immediate action.
हिंदी में समझें
〜が早いか का मतलब "जैसे ही ~, तुरंत"। रूप: [शब्दकोश / ta-रूप] + が早いか।
Examples
- ベルがなるがはやいか、こどもたちはとびだした。 (Beru ga naru ga hayai ka, kodomotachi wa tobidashita.)
हिंदी: घंटी बजते ही बच्चे बाहर भागे।
English: No sooner had the bell rung than the children ran out. - かいぎがおわるがはやいか、みんなはへやをでた。 (Kaigi ga owaru ga hayai ka, minna wa heya o deta.)
हिंदी: बैठक खत्म होते ही सब कमरे से निकल गए।
English: As soon as the meeting ended, everyone left the room. - ベルが鳴るが早いか、学生たちは教室を飛び出した。 (Beru ga naru ga hayai ka, gakuseitachi wa kyoushitsu o tobidashita.)
हिंदी: घंटी बजते ही छात्र कक्षा से बाहर भागे।
English: As soon as the bell rang, the students rushed out of the classroom. - 家に帰るが早いか、彼は寝てしまった。 (Ie ni kaeru ga hayai ka, kare wa nete shimatta.)
हिंदी: घर लौटते ही वह सो गया।
English: As soon as he got home, he fell asleep.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a delayed result → が早いか implies near-immediate action — Simultaneity.
Practice this topic
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