Word
今にも
Meaning in Englishat any moment, about to happen
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Word context
What it means
今にも means 'at any moment' or 'soon', indicating that something is imminent or on the verge of occurring; it conveys immediacy and a sense of anticipation for what is about to happen.
Main meanings
- Indicates that something may happen at any moment; imminent.
- Used to describe something that seems about to occur right away, creating a sense of tension or expectancy.
- Often pairs with verbs or constructions like そうだ to express that an event is about to take place soon.
How to use it
Used across casual and neutral formal registers to describe imminent events; typically followed by verbs in the plain form or constructions like そうだ/ている to express that something is about to happen; common patterns include 今にも〜そうだ and 今にも〜てしまいそうだ.
Variants and close terms
- 間もなく (mamonaku) — soon
- もうすぐ (mōsugu) — in a short time / very soon
- すぐに (sugu ni) — immediately
Composition
- 今: 'now' or present moment
- に: temporal/location particle
- も: emphatic/additive particle meaning 'even'
Etymology
今 ima + に (temporal particle) + も (emphatic/additive particle) together form a native idiomatic expression of immediacy, without external loanwords.
Word class
expression, adverbial phrase (副詞句)
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