~つつ
〜tsutsu
JLPT N2 Formal
Formation
Verb-stem + つつ
Shows two actions happening simultaneously or a contrast; 'while', 'although'.
When to use
Literary version of ながら; can also carry a contrastive nuance ("while, even though").
Explanation
The ~つつ grammar point is used to express two actions occurring simultaneously, or to show a contrast between an ongoing action and another factor. It can be translated as 'while' or 'although.' It is attached to a verb in its stem form.
Example sentences
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He was doing his homework while watching TV.
Kare wa terebi o mitsutsu, shukudai o shite imashita.
-
Although I feel busy these days, I still exercise every day.
Saikin isogashii to omoi tsutsu, mainichi undō o tsuzukete imasu.
-
She was crying, yet she said goodbye with a smile on her face.
Kanojo wa naki tsutsu, egao de wakare o tsugeta.
-
He continued walking even though he was getting soaked by the rain.
Ame ni nure tsutsu, kare wa aruki tsuzukemashita.
Simultaneous (While Doing)
Corpus examples (60)
ジョンソンさんは不注意な管理のせいで失われつつあるお金の額を心配していた。
Mr Johnson was concerned about the amount of money that was being lost because of careless management.
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The quality of tea is going down.
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With the coming of winter, days are getting shorter.
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Hope of finding the child alive is fading rapidly.
超音速ジェット機の発達につれて世界はますます小さくなりつつある。
With the development of supersonic jet planes, the world is becoming smaller and smaller.
オリーブの葉は、善玉菌を 維持しつつ、病気を引き起こす悪い細菌を攻撃してくれるのです。
Olive leaf attacks bad bacteria that can cause illness while still maintaining the good bacteria in your body.
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The weather was getting worse and worse as the day went on.
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It is getting darker and darker.
このことは家が沈み始め、道路が裂けて街灯が途方もない角度に傾きつつあることを意味する。
This means that houses are starting to sink, roads are breaking up and lamp-posts are leaning at crazy angles.
今日世界中の人々は、田舎の小さな村から出て騒々しい大都会へ移動しつつある。
Today, people all over the world are moving out of small villages in the country to go and live in big, noisy cities.
日本の海外援助は、1つには国内の経済の減速によって減りつつある。
Japan's foreign aid is decreasing in part because of an economic slowdown at home.
「未来形」というのは存在しない、ということは受験英語でも一般的になりつつあります。
It is even becoming accepted even in exam-English that that called "simple future tense" does not exist.
コミュニケーションの方法が多種にわたって増加する一方で人間関係が希薄なものになりつつある。まさに本末転倒だ。
As all kinds of communication methods are proliferating, human relationships are weakening. This is a perfect example of mistaking means for ends.
一列に立ち並んだ家が新しいアパートに席を譲るためにとりこわされつつある。
A row of old houses is being destroyed to make way for new flats.
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The movement is rapidly gaining ground.
ここでの私の関心は、ウーマン・リブ運動が消えつつあるのか否かということである。
My concern here is whether the women's movement is fading or not.
映画館は、インターネット上に出回る違法コピーのせいで、収益をますます失いつつある。
Movie theaters are losing more and more revenue due to internet piracy.
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The atmosphere is being polluted.
大規模な表面の潮流が存在していることがすでに知られているが、表面下の大きな潮流も発見されつつある。
Large-scale surface currents are already known to exist, and major currents below the ocean surface, too, are being found.
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The sun is sinking below the horizon.
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The quality of rice is going down.
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There's something odd going on.
科学技術は我々の生活のあらゆる側面に浸透するようになり、その結果として社会は全く前例のない速度で変化しつつある。
Science and technology have come to pervade every aspect of our lives and, as a result, society is changing at a speed which is quite unprecedented.
その老婦人は回復しつつあり、病院から派遣された看護婦によって充分な介護を受けている。
The old woman is getting better and is being taken good care of by a nurse from the hospital.
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The conference was drawing to an end.