〜そばから: meaning and usage

How to form it

• verb (dictionary form)+そばから
• verb (ta-form)+そばから

How it is used

No sooner is A done than B follows, again and again, and B often undoes A; it voices frustration. Used for things that keep happening, not for a one-off event.

Examples

1. 注意したそばからまた子供がおもちゃを散らかした。

   As soon as I warned them the children again scattered the toys about.

2. 新しい単語は、覚えるそばから忘れてしまう。

   I forget new words as fast as I learn them.

3. 給料が入ったそばから、支払いで消えていく。

   My pay vanishes into bills as soon as it comes in.