接続・範囲 · Connection & scope
と
And / with / quotation
Connects nouns in an exhaustive list, marks a companion (with), or introduces quoted speech and thoughts.
When to use
- Noun A と Noun B = A and B (complete list)
- 友達と行く = go with a friend
- 思うと = think (that)… with quotation
How to use
- 1Between two nouns for "and": りんごとバナナ.
- 2After a person for "with": 田中さんと話す.
- 3After quotation content before verbs like 言う, 思う.
Nuance & non-standard uses
Patterns that go beyond the textbook default — contrast, omission, register shifts, and mixed particles.
と as natural result / conditional (Vと)
The same spelling と after verb dictionary form means "when / if (inevitably)" — 春になると暖かくなる. This is a different function from companion と but shares the written form; context and verb form disambiguate.
右に曲がると病院がある。
If you turn right, there's a hospital — conditional と.
見ると分かる。
If you look, you'll understand.
と quotation (content, sound, thought)
と after a clause or onomatopoeia introduces reported content before 言う, 思う, 聞こえる, etc. The quoted chunk is not a "companion" — it is the message itself. In casual speech the quote + と block can be long.
もう無理だと思った。
I thought (that) it's impossible already.
ワンワンと鳴いた。
It went "woof woof" — sound quotation.
と on non-human pairs (コーヒーと紅茶)
と between nouns implies an exhaustive short list — "A and B (and that's the set)." For open-ended "and so on," や or など is preferred. Using と for three+ items can sound like a closed list.
サラダとスープとパンを頼んだ。
Ordered salad, soup, and bread — complete order list.
Examples
パンとコーヒーを注文した。
Ordered bread and coffee.
彼と映画を見た。
Watched a movie with him.