やがて: 'Before Long / Eventually' (Meaning + Examples)
Something will happen after time passes
やがて marks that, after an unspecified stretch of time, an event happens or a state changes. It's often used to shift a narrative forward — from a moment of tension or uncertainty to its resolution.
彼はやがて平静に戻った。
かれは やがて へいせいに もどった。
Before long, he returned to a calm state.
A short passage of time before returning to normal.
やがて、動物の肉を食べることは人肉を食べるのと同じようにひどいと見られるようになるだろう。
やがて、どうぶつの にくを たべることは じんにくを たべるのと おなじように ひどいと みられるように なるだろう。
Eventually, eating animal meat will come to be seen as just as terrible as eating human flesh.
A long-term societal shift, still framed with やがて.
やったんは最初もちの真似ができなかったが、やがて上手に踊れるようになった。
やったんは さいしょ もちの まねが できなかったが、やがて じょうずに おどれるように なった。
At first Yattan couldn't copy Mochi's moves, but before long he learned to dance well.
Original example: gradual improvement over an unspecified stretch of time.
Form: やがて + clause
やがて is an adverb and doesn't conjugate; it simply sits at the start of a clause (or right before the verb) describing what eventually happens.
| Position | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Sentence-initial | やがて、〜。 | やがて、日が暮れた。= Before long, the sun set. |
| Before the verb | 〜は やがて 〜。 | 彼はやがて気づいた。= He eventually noticed. |
空は暗くなり、やがて雨が降り始めた。
そらは くらくなり、やがて あめが ふりはじめた。
The sky darkened, and before long it began to rain.
Not the same as もうすぐ
もうすぐ means "very soon," pointing to something imminent and near in the immediate future (もうすぐ着く, "we'll arrive very soon"). やがて is looser about the timeframe — it can describe minutes or years — and leans literary, common in narration, essays, and news, whereas もうすぐ is everyday conversational Japanese for something right around the corner.
The short version
- やがて = "before long / eventually / soon" — a change or event after some unspecified time.
- Attaches to: nothing (adverb), placed before the verb or clause it modifies.
- Nuance/register: neutral-to-literary; common in narration and essays; timeframe is vague, could be short or long.
- Don't confuse with: もうすぐ, which means "very soon" and implies imminent, near-term arrival.
Practice it
Choose the correct use of やがて to describe something happening after time passes.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
彼は＿＿＿平静に戻った。
Where やがて fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- もう · N5 — もう means 'already' with a positive verb (もう食べた), 'not anymore' with a negative (もう食べない), and 'one more' with numbers (もう一杯). Pairs with まだ.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜やら〜やら — 〜やら〜やら lists two or more things (or feelings) side by side to convey a chaotic, overwhelming, or mixed situation — 'what with A and B.' Casual-to-neutral, and often used for jumbled emotions.
- 〜ようでは — 〜ようでは means 'if (this) is the state of things' — a current situation, if it continues, will lead to a bad result. Used to criticize or warn, often followed by a negative conclusion.
- 要するに — 要するに is a conjunction meaning 'in short' or 'the point is' — it introduces a summary or rephrasing of what was just said, boiling a longer explanation down to its essence.
- 〜に向かって — 〜に向かって attaches to a noun and means 'toward / facing,' marking physical motion toward a place, effort aimed at a goal, or words directed at a person: 駅に向かって走る ('run toward the station').
- 〜において — 〜において is the formal, written equivalent of で/に, marking a location, time, or field of activity: 現代において ('in modern times'). Learn the pattern plus its adnominal form における.
- 〜ものなら — 〜ものなら follows a potential verb to mean 'if only I could' (できるものなら、やってみたい) or, with a volitional verb, to warn of dire consequences for a rash attempt.