N3 Time, Sequences, and Change

~と、〜た/~たら、〜た: meaning, usage and examples

~と、〜た/~たら、〜た means: when... (unexpected discovery).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 家いえに帰かえると、電気でんきが消きえていた。

   When I got home, the lights were off.

2. 窓まどを開あけたら、猫ねこが入はいってきた。

   When I opened the window, a cat came in.

3. 駅えきに着ついたら、電車でんしゃはもう出でていました。

   When I got to the station, the train had already left.

4. カーテンを開あけると、外そとは真まっ白しろでした。

   When I opened the curtains, everything outside was white.

When to use it

When the sentence ends in the past tense, と and たら can describe a discovery or something that happened right after your action: "When I did X, I found / Y happened." 空からだった means "When I opened the box, it was empty." The first action is yours; the result is something you noticed or did not expect.

Nuance

The second clause is outside your control: a discovery, a surprise or another person's action. It cannot be your own planned next step (家いえに帰かえると、宿題しゅくだいをした is unnatural; use てから). と sounds a little more like written storytelling, while たら is more conversational.

Compare

With a present or future ending, と and たら are conditions: 春はるになると暖あたたかくなる (when spring comes, it gets warm). With a past ending they report a discovery: ドアを開あけると、雪ゆきが降ふっていた. ば cannot be used this way. For your own planned sequence, use てから: 家いえに帰かえってから、宿題しゅくだいをした.

Tip: Look at the end of the sentence. If it is past tense and describes what you found or what happened to you, this is the "discovery" と / たら.

More on this in Japanese conditionals: tara, ba, nara and to.