Structure
Verb［る］+ 途中 + で(1)
Noun + の + 途中 + で(1)
(1) に
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Standard
About 途中に・途中で
With 途中 meaning 'on the way', the addition of either the case marking particleに or で will indicate that something is either being done 'on the way to (A)', 'partway through (A)' or 'in the middle of (A)'.
途中 may be seen after verbs in their standard form, or nouns followed by の.
As always, に will put more emphasis on the time or duration of (A), while で will put further emphasis on the process of (A) being the cause of (B), or being used as an opportunity to do (B). Let's take a look at both.
The meanings of で and に in regard to this particular grammar point can overlap quite often, so it may be necessary to see many examples before the slight difference in nuance becomes apparent.
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Examples
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シャッターが途中で閉まらなくなってしまった。
The shutter unfortunately stopped closing in the middle.
集金の途中でお釣りがなくなってしまった。
I lost the change partway through collecting money.
面接の途中でリクルーターはいきなり笑い始めた。
In the middle of an interview, the recruiter suddenly started laughing.
朝ご飯を作っている途中で電話が鳴った。
In the middle of making breakfast, the telephone rang.
シーズンの途中で引退会見をするのは微妙だ。
Holding a retirement press conference in the middle of the season is questionable.
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みんなの日本語 II
Page 90 [CH 39]
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途中に・途中で – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
Skyyy
Hi, I’m having trouble learning when to use に and when to use で with 途中. It says that に usually emphasizes the duration while で implies that A was sort of an opportunity to do B, right? Yet while reviewing, the sentence 出張の???実家に寄ってもいいと言われた。popped up and 途中に was the excepted answer. How is the duration of the trip relevant in this phrase? and isn’t the trip typically an opportunity to visit family? I don’t understand.
AirDolphin98
I don’t know, but maybe it is possible that the translation should be more like, “While on the business trip, I was told I could visit my parent’s house.” The action of being told occurs in the midst of the business trip. Maybe if it were 途中で it would imply that you’re being told in advance that you can take the opportunity to visit your parents.
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