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〜かと思ったら・〜かと思うと

just when (I thought); no sooner … than

Verb た-form + かと思ったら / かと思うと

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かと思ったら describes one thing followed immediately by an unexpected change: 晴れたかと思ったら、また雨が降り出した, "just when I thought it had cleared up, it started raining again".

かと思うと is similar and common in narration: 帰ってきたかと思うと、すぐに出かけてしまった, "no sooner had he come home than he went out again".

Both describe what the speaker observed, usually about other people or things, not the speaker's own actions. The second half is often surprising, and the two events are close together or in contrast.

Compare たとたん (N3), which is also "the moment", but doesn't carry the "or so I thought" sense of a quick reversal.

Examples

  • 晴はれたかと思おもったら、また雨あめが降ふり出だした。

    Just when I thought it had cleared up, it started raining again.

  • 帰かえってきたかと思おもうと、すぐに出でかけてしまった。

    No sooner had he come home than he went out again.

  • 赤あかちゃんは泣ないたかと思おもったら、もう笑わらっている。

    One moment the baby's crying, the next it's laughing.

  • 静しずかになったかと思おもったら、子こどもたちは寝ねていた。

    It had suddenly gone quiet, and I found the children asleep.

  • 彼かれは来きたかと思おもうと、何なにも言いわずに帰かえった。

    No sooner had he arrived than he left without a word.

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