While I didn't see you with 〜うちに
Grammar Explanation: During with 〜うちに
Jumbo arrives to help Yotsuba and her father move into their new home.
- よつば:
- 「しばらく見ないうちにまた大きくなった！」
- “You've grown bigger since I last saw you!”
- Literal: “During the time I didn't see you, you've gotten bigger!”
- “You've grown bigger since I last saw you!”
- ジャンボ:
- 「お？どこでおぼえたそのセリフ」
- “Oh? Where'd you pick up that line?”
Key Points
1しばらく見ないうちに means during the time I didn’t see you
- The phrase marks the unseen interval as the time when Jumbo supposedly grew.
- It does not mean Yotsuba watched him grow.
2また大きくなった is a stock grown-up remark
- また means “again”, as if this has happened before.
3Jumbo notices the phrasing
- 「どこでおぼえたそのセリフ」 asks where she learned that line.
- セリフ treats her comment like a borrowed scripted phrase.
よつばと！ © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.