JLPT N2 grammar

〜につけmeaning and usage

Meaning

  1. During both times/situations A and B
  2. Every time A (happens/occurs)

How to form it

  • verb (dictionary form)につけ
  • verb (dictionary form)/い-adjectiveにつけverb (dictionary form)/い-adjectiveにつけ
  • 何かにつけ（て）

How it is used

After verbs like 「見る」, 「聞く」 or 「思う」 it means 'whenever', followed by a feeling or memory that arises; 「AにつけBにつけ」 means 'whether A or B'; 「何かにつけ」 means 'at every turn'. It sounds somewhat literary.

Examples

  1. あの子供のことを見るにつけ聞くにつけ、 かわいそうでならない。

    Whenever I see or hear about that child, I can't help feeling sorry for them.

  2. この写真を見るにつけ、学生時代を思い出す。

    Whenever I look at this photo, I think back to my student days.

  3. うれしいにつけ悲しいにつけ、いつも友達がそばにいてくれた。

    In happy times and sad, my friends were always by my side.