Learn Hardcore Japanese: eki de tomodati wo matte iru aida, kaisatuguti no tikaku wo urourosite imasita. - While I was waiting for my friend at the station, I was wandering around near the ticket gate.

Word

駅えき　で　友達ともだち　を　待まって　いる　あいだ、　改札口かいさつぐち　の　近ちかく　を　うろうろして　いました。eki de tomodachi o matte iru aida, kaisatsuguchi no chikaku o urouroshite imashita.

Meaning

While I was waiting for my friend at the station, I was wandering around near the ticket gate.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Lesson

Breakdown of eki de tomodachi o matte iru aida, kaisatsuguchi no chikaku o urouroshite imashita.

Why is it 駅で and not 駅に?

Because で marks the place where an action happens.

Here, the action is 友達を待っている (waiting for a friend), so 駅で means at the station as the location of that action.

So で is the natural choice here.

Why is 友達 marked with を? In English we say wait for a friend.

In Japanese, 待つ takes a direct object, so the person or thing being waited for is marked with を.

Even though English uses for, Japanese does not here.

What does 待っているあいだ mean exactly?

あいだ means during the time that... or while....

So:

待っている = is waiting / am waiting
待っているあいだ = while (someone) is waiting / during the time (someone) is waiting

In this sentence, it sets up the time frame for the main action: while waiting for a friend at the station...