なり and が早いか describe one event immediately following another; そばから usually describes a repeated pattern. 帰るなり寝た and 鳴るが早いか走り出した report rapid sequences. 教えるそばから忘れる means someone repeatedly forgets soon after being taught. The first two are more common in written narrative than ordinary conversation.
なり — and immediately, out of character · が早いか — the instant it happened · そばから — as fast as you do it, over and over
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
なり — abrupt, and out of character
plain past
。
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彼
かれ ［1］
he
pronoun · one subject for both clauses, which なり requires
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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家
いえ ［2］
home; house
noun · いえ the building, うち one's own home
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に
に
to; at; into
particle · a point something reaches — a place, a time, a person, or a state
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帰る
かえる ［1］
get home
godan verb · dictionary form, even though the event is past
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なり
なり
the moment they did
conjunction · abrupt, and reported with slight surprise
なりN1the moment · abruptly
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寝て
ねて
slept
て-form of 寝る · linking into しまった
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しまった
しまった
(and that was that)
てしまう in past · the completeness of it
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He got home and went straight to sleep.
が早いか — the two events raced
plain past
、。
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ベル
ベル
bell
noun · loanword, always katakana
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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鳴る
なる ［0］
ring
godan verb · 鳴る for sounds, 泣く for crying
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が早いか
がはやいか
no sooner than
conjunction · literally 'which was faster' — the two events raced
が早いかN1no sooner than
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教室
きょうしつ ［0］
classroom
noun · 教 teach ＋ 室 room
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を
を
marks the space left
particle · departure, not a direct object — the same を as 家を出る
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飛び出した
とびだした
shot out of
plain past of 飛び出す · を marks the space departed
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The bell had barely rung before they shot out of the classroom.
そばから — the cycle that never ends
plain
。
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教える
おしえる ［0］
teach
ichidan verb · dictionary form before そばから
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そばから
そばから
as fast as; no sooner than
conjunction · the only one of the three that repeats
そばからN1as fast as — over and over
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忘れて
わすれて
forget
て-form of 忘れる · linking into しまう
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しまう
しまう
end up doing
plain てしまう · non-past, because this keeps happening
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They forget it as fast as I teach it.
そばから — two different people
plain
。
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片付ける
かたづける ［4］
tidy up
ichidan verb · dictionary form before そばから
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そばから
そばから
as fast as
conjunction · here the two clauses have different subjects
そばからN1as fast as — repeated
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子供
こども ［0］
the kids
noun · a different subject from the tidier
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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散らかす
ちらかす ［0］
make a mess of
godan verb · transitive, so the kids are doing it
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As fast as I tidy up, the kids mess it up again.
なり — and it surprised the speaker
plain past
、。
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彼女
かのじょ ［1］
she
pronoun · the same subject across both clauses
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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座る
すわる ［0］
sit down
godan verb · dictionary form before なり
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なり
なり
the moment she did
conjunction · the abruptness is the point
なりN1the moment · abruptly
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泣き出した
なきだした
burst into tears
泣く ＋ 出す · 〜出す marks a sudden start
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She sat down and burst into tears.
とたん — the everyday version
plain past
、。
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立ち上がった
たちあがった
stood up
plain past of 立ち上がる · とたん takes the past form
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とたん
とたん
the moment that
conjunction · the N2 everyday form of the same idea
とたんN2the moment that
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めまい
めまい
dizziness
noun · めまいがする is the set phrase
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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した
した
happened; came over me
plain past of する · used for sensations
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The moment I stood up, my head swam.
Structure
How each one attaches
帰る / 座る / 見る＋なり
家に帰るなり寝てしまった. Dictionary form in front even though the event is past. The same-subject pattern is common, though context determines the relation.
鳴る / 鳴った＋が早いか
ベルが鳴るが早いか. Either form is seen in front. The clause behind describes something that happened almost simultaneously.
教える / 片付けた＋そばから
教えるそばから忘れる. The second clause is habitual, not a one-off — that is what makes this one different.
なり／が早いか→past, reported
なり and が早いか typically report events rather than introduce requests or commands. They report what happened, and そばから reports what keeps happening.
Meaning
Abrupt, simultaneous, and repeated
なり is abruptness.家に帰るなり寝てしまった — walked in and went straight to bed, with little intervening time. The second action follows quickly; surprise is possible but not required.
が早いか is a race. The literal shape asks “which was faster?” — ベルが鳴るが早いか、教室を飛び出した. It is the most dramatic of the three and belongs to narrative writing more than speech.
そばから often presents recurrence.教えるそばから忘れる says the forgetting follows teaching again and again. This repeated reading makes it especially apt for an exasperating cycle.
Subjects depend on the construction.なり commonly links two actions by the same person. が早いか can connect different participants, and そばから can describe one person tidying while another makes a mess.
Register matters.なり and が早いか lean toward written narrative. そばから can also appear in conversation. Casual speech can use 〜たら、すぐ for a simple quick sequence.
Watch out
Where these three go wrong
Changing subject across なり
なり needs the same person doing both things. 私が帰るなり、母が怒った does not work — that shape wants とたん.
A plan or a request after なり or が早いか
Both report what already happened. 着くなり電話してください is wrong; a request wants 次第 or たら.
Using そばから for a one-off
It describes a cycle. For something that happened once, とたん or が早いか. そばから on a single event reads as a mistake.
Also asked
Questions people ask about these three
What actually separates そばから from the other two?
Repetition. そばから describes a cycle — you do it, it is undone, you do it again. なり and が早いか each report a single moment.
Why does なり take the dictionary form for a past event?
It is a fixed property of the pattern rather than a tense claim. The clause behind carries the past, and the form in front stays plain: 帰るなり寝てしまった.
Can I use these in conversation?
なり and が早いか sound narrative; そばから also appears in conversation.
が早いか or なり — is there a real difference?
が早いか foregrounds the speed of the second event, as though the two were racing. なり foregrounds that the action was abrupt and a little unexpected.
Does そばから always sound annoyed?
Usually. The cycle it describes is one where effort keeps being undone, so exasperation comes with it. A neutral repetition would be 〜たびに.
Which one should I learn first?
そばから, because its meaning is genuinely distinct and nothing else covers it. なり and が早いか both have とたん as a serviceable everyday stand-in.
