let's learn some lingo!

[me_in_japan]

Over the past few days I've been feeling particularly cruddy about my lack of Japanese ability, and although I have great difficulty summoning up the motivation to sit down with a book and study (that and the lack of time), I thought it might be a terribly cunning plan to have a thread about int'restin' and/or tricky bits of Japanese we had come across that we could ask each other about/show off with as the case may be. I know we are all at wildly varying levels of ability (with myself grubbing around near the bottom of the food chain) and I know many of us have Japanese better halfs who can translate all kinda useful things for us (like insurance documents) but anyway, i figured what the hell, may as well see what folks think.

So, my troublesome phrase of the day is...

(person)は(verb1)するか(verb1)しないかのうちに、(verb2)した。
person wa verb1 suruka verb1 shinaika nouchi ni, verb2 shita.

No sooner (had something happened) than (somebody did something).

er...probably not very helpful. Here's an example (I hope):

some words for those who may need em...

生徒 - seito - student
チャイム - chaimu - bell (school bell)
鳴る - naru - ring (as in bell)
教室 - kyoushitsu - classroom
出て行った - deteitta - went out of

and the example wot I hope strings em all together...

生徒はチャイムを鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに、教室から出て行った。
seito ha chaimu wo naruka naranaika nouchini, kyoushitsu kara deteitta.

No sooner had the bell rung than the students left the classroom.

So, can anybody confirm/deny for me if my example is a decent sentence, or is it just a pile of rubbish?

Brownie points to anybody that can use the above grammar to make an amusing sentence about space marines, bolt guns, snotlings and pooey pants

[ashmie]

Oh man, it sounds good to me. But I only speak chav Japanese ne. Seriously though I do. Wish that was a joke.
Good call MIJ.

[Admiral-Badruck]

スペースマリーンはボルトガンを撃つか撃たないかのうちにスノットリングはパンツを下痢をした。

Next

[me_in_japan]

Half a brownie point fr badruck. Another half point if he writes the same thing again in romaji and explains the vocab. Spread the love, admiral

[jus]

no sooner did the space marine discharge his bolter, the snotling shat itself?

looks good to me

[The Underdweller]

その上の文はひどいです

[me_in_japan]

If the admiral could write the sentence in romaji, please, it might help those who can't read kanji/hiragana.

As for being hidoi, who says the marine is shooting the snotling? Maybe the snotling just happened to be passing by the marine firing range and got a bit of a fright when the big gun went "bang!"

Or did you mean hidoi as in horrifically wrong?

[The Underdweller]

Or did you mean hidoi as in horrifically wrong?

Yes, that one.

[me_in_japan]

Ah, well in that case could you (or someone else) correct it for us, please? This thread is all about the edumacation, y'know...

[jus]

スペースマリーンはボルトガンを撃つか撃たないかのうちにスノットリングはパンツを下痢をした。

Next

Supe-su mari-n wa borutogan o utsuka Utanai no uchi ni sunottoringu wa pantsu o geri o shita.