~つつ

〜tsutsu

JLPT N2 Formal Chapter 42: While, during, by then, 10 of 10

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

Simultaneous (While Doing)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.