に至って / に至り【にいたって / にいたり】

only when, only after, only once it came to, upon reaching

AI-generated

Structure

[noun] + に至って [noun] + に至り [verb (dictionary form)] + に至って [verb (dictionary form)] + に至り

Description

に至って means "only when things reached (this point)": a situation got worse and worse, and only at that stage did something happen. It follows a noun, or a verb in the dictionary form, and the second half usually carries ようやく, やっと or はじめて初めて, because the reaction came late.

、。

Only when the situation became critical were measures finally taken.

、。

Only when he collapsed did he think about his health for the first time.

、。

Only when people died did the company finally decide to recall the product.

A verb before に至って stays in the dictionary form, even in a past sentence: ×倒れたに至って.

に至って or に至り

is the stem form of the same verb, and it is stiffer still – newspapers and official reports. It also reads less as "only then": often it just links the stage reached to what followed.

、。

The negotiations broke down, and relations between the two countries worsened.

、。

When the damage had spread this far, the government set up an emergency task force.

に至って or に至っては

The two differ by one particle and mean different things. に至って is about time: "only once it came to that". にいたっては至っては picks out the worst case in a group: "and as for X…".

、。

Only when the company went bankrupt did the management problems come to light.

。、。

The staff are often late. The manager is late every single day.

Register

に至って is written Japanese. In conversation, "only when" is てはじめて or になってやっと.

、。

It was only when I got ill that I understood how important health is.

Examples

、。

Only when the illness reached a terminal stage did he finally begin treatment.

、。

Only when the CEO resigned did the seriousness of the problem finally become known to the public.

、。

Only after a major accident occurred were the safety standards finally reviewed.

、。

Only upon reaching the point of divorce did she first realize how important her husband was.

、。

As the damage spread to a critical level, the government established an emergency task force.

、。

Years of research finally reached the stage of practical application, and the new drug was approved.

、。

Only after being arrested by the police did he finally admit his mistakes.

、。

Only when the company went bankrupt did the management problems finally come to light.

、。

Only after it went as far as a trial did talk of a settlement finally emerge.

、。

The conflict escalated into war, and many citizens fled the country.

、。

Only when things had come to this did the government finally start to act.

、。

Only when people died did the company finally decide to recall the product.

References

に至って-に至りBunpro

に耐える / に耐えない

に至っては