Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
やがて is an adverb that signifies something will happen “soon,” “before long,” “eventually,” or “in due course.” It implies a natural, often inevitable, progression of time or a gradual transition from one state to another.
🎯 Primary Function
To indicate a future event or change that occurs after a certain, usually indefinite, period, often with a nuance of natural or destined progression.
📋 Grammar Structure
やがて functions as an adverb, directly preceding a verb or an adjective to modify it. Structure: やがて + Verb (various forms) / Adjective (い-adjective / な-adjective + に)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Frequently used in formal writing, literature, news articles, and speeches.
Informal Situations
Less common in casual conversations compared to more direct expressions like 「もうすぐ」 or 「そのうち」, but can be used for a slightly more reflective or poetic tone.
Written Language
Very common in written Japanese, especially in narratives and descriptive texts.
Spoken Language
Used, but less frequently than in written contexts. It might sound a bit formal in everyday conversation.
💡 Common Applications
Describing natural or inevitable changes over time.
Used when something is expected to change or develop naturally after a period.
Example: 雨は小降りになり、やがて止んだ。(The rain became a drizzle, and soon it stopped.)
Predicting future outcomes that are a result of current efforts or situations.
To express that a current action or state will lead to a particular result eventually.
Example: この努力は、やがて実を結ぶだろう。(This effort will eventually bear fruit.)
Narrating a sequence of events where one leads to the next naturally.
Used to connect events, showing a natural transition or flow.
Example: ひながかえって、やがて美しい鳥になった。(The chick hatched, and before long, became a beautiful bird.)
Frequency
Moderate. It is a key adverb for expressing future progression and is commonly encountered in N2-level texts and beyond.
Difficulty
Intermediate to Advanced (JLPT N2). Understanding its nuances compared to similar adverbs is crucial.
Example Sentences
雨は小降りになり、やがて止んだ。
The rain became a drizzle, and soon it stopped.
ひながかえって、やがて美しい鳥になった。
The chick hatched, and before long, became a beautiful bird.
この努力は、やがて実を結ぶだろう。
This effort will eventually bear fruit.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Implies natural progression.
「やがて」 often suggests that the future event will unfold naturally and inevitably after a certain passage of time, rather than happening suddenly or by external intervention.
Example: 時間が経てば、やがて解決するだろう。(As time passes, it will eventually resolve itself.)
Indefinite duration.
The time period indicated by 「やがて」 is usually not precise and can range from a relatively short period to a long one, but it is not immediate.
Example: 数年後、やがて彼は有名になった。(Several years later, he eventually became famous.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using 「やがて」 for immediate future events.
✅ Use 「もうすぐ」 or 「まもなく」 for events happening very soon.
「やがて」 implies a more drawn-out or natural progression, not an immediate occurrence.
❌ undefined
✅ undefined
undefined
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Neutral to slightly formal. It does not carry specific politeness connotations itself, but its usage often lends a more refined or literary tone to a sentence.
Social Situations: More common in reflective speech, storytelling, formal announcements, or predictions rather than casual, everyday banter.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations in meaning or usage.
🔍 Subtle Differences
やがて vs. そのうち
「やがて」 emphasizes a natural and often inevitable progression, usually implying a somewhat longer or more definite eventual outcome. 「そのうち」 is more casual, vague, and can mean “sometime later” without the strong implication of inevitability or natural flow.
When to use: Use 「やがて」 when describing a natural, almost destined future development. Use 「そのうち」 for a more general, less certain “sometime later.”
やがて vs. いずれ
Both mean “eventually.” 「いずれ」 often has a stronger nuance of “at some point” or “sooner or later,” implying inevitability but perhaps without the same sense of a continuous, natural process as 「やがて」. 「いずれ」 can also mean “one of these days/ways.”
When to use: Use 「やがて」 for a natural, unfolding progression. Use 「いずれ」 for a more general “at some point in the future,” often used for a decision or outcome that must happen.
やがて vs. まもなく / もうすぐ
「まもなく」 and 「もうすぐ」 both mean “very soon” or “in a short while,” implying immediacy. 「やがて」 implies a longer, less immediate, or more gradual period of time before the event occurs.
When to use: Use 「まもなく」 or 「もうすぐ」 for immediate future events. Use 「やがて」 for events that will happen after some indefinite, usually longer, period of natural progression.
📝 Conjugation Notes
やがて is an adverb, so it does not conjugate.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounce 「やがて」 as “ya-ga-te.” The stress is relatively flat, or slightly on the first syllable “ya.” Ensure clear pronunciation of each mora.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of 「やがて」 as “YArns GAThering TEa” – a bit silly, but it can help visualize a slow, natural process of events unfolding and coming together over time.
Vocabulary List
雨
ame
rain
小降り
koburi
light (rain/snow)
止む
yamu
to stop (rain, snow, wind)
ひな
hina
chick, fledgling
かえる
kaeru
to hatch (e.g., 卵がかえる – egg hatches)
美しい
utsukushii
beautiful
鳥
bird
Kanji List
雨
あめ
rain
小
こ
small, light
降
ふ・こ
to fall (rain, snow), descend
止
や・と
to stop
美
うつく
beautiful
鳥
とり
bird
努
ど
to endeavor, effort
力
りょく
strength, power
実
み・じつ
fruit, truth, reality
結
むす
to tie, to conclude, to bear
春
はる
spring
Practice Exercises
彼は病気だったが、____ 元気になった。
A. もうすぐ
B. やがて
C. 今
D. すぐ
嵐が過ぎ去り、空には____ 太陽が顔を出した。
A. まもなく
B. やがて
C. すぐに
D. これから
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