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N3
〜うちに／〜ないうちに
Meaning
Expresses doing another action without missing the chance, while a certain state continues. "〜ないうちに" means doing something while a state has not yet occurred, in order to act before it becomes too late. It focuses on the time span before a state changes.
Examples
- 熱いうちに召し上がってください Please eat it while it is still hot.
- 明るいうちに家へ帰ろう Let us go home while it is still light.
- 忘れないうちにメモしておく I will jot it down before I forget.
- 雨が降らないうちに洗濯物を取り込んだ I brought in the laundry before it started raining.