kare wa henji o matte iru aida, irairashite heya o urouroshite ita.

topic particle

Breakdown of kare wa henji o matte iru aida, irairashite heya o urouroshite ita.

• を: direct object particle
• 彼かれ: he
• 部屋へや: room

Questions & Answers about kare wa henji o matte iru aida, irairashite heya o urouroshite ita.

Why is it 待っているあいだ and not 待つあいだ?

Both are possible, but they mean slightly different things.

• 待つあいだ = during the time of waiting in a more general sense
• 待っているあいだ = while he is in the state of waiting

Because 待つ is often used as an ongoing action, Japanese commonly uses 〜ている here to show that the person is actively in the middle of waiting.

So 返事を待っているあいだ sounds very natural for while he was waiting for a reply.

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What does あいだ mean here?

あいだ（間） means while, during, or for the period that.

In this sentence:

• 返事を待っているあいだ = while he was waiting for a reply

It marks a stretch of time during which the main action happened.

So the structure is:

• A あいだ、B
• While A, B

Here:

• A = he was waiting for a reply
• B = he was getting irritated and pacing around the room

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What is the difference between あいだ and あいだに?