たり～たり | Grammar

Structure

[verb た-form] + り + [verb た-form] + り + する
[i-adj 〜い → 〜かった] + り + [i-adj 〜い → 〜かった] + り + する
[na-adj] + だったり + [na-adj] + だったり + する
[noun] + だったり + [noun] + だったり + する

Note: The final する conjugates for tense/politeness (します, した, etc.). At minimum two たり are typical, but one たり + する is also possible.

Description

The たり～たり pattern is used to list actions as non-exhaustive examples, similar to saying "do things like A and B" in English. It implies that the listed actions are representative – there may be other actions not mentioned.

The pattern is formed by changing the verb to its た-form and adding り. The sentence typically ends with する (or its conjugated forms), which ties the listed actions together.

、。

On weekends, I do things like read books and watch movies.

How to form たり

Take the た-form of a verb and add り:

たべる食べる → 食べた → 食べたり
のむ飲む → 飲んだ → 飲んだり
いく行く → 行った → 行ったり
する → した → したり

Basic usage

You can list two or more actions with たり, and the sentence ends with する:

、。

Yesterday I did things like cleaning and laundry.

Even listing just one action with たり is possible when you want to imply "among other things":

。

On my days off, I do things like taking walks.

Conjugating する at the end

The final する can be conjugated to match tense, politeness, or negation:

Past: たり～たりした
りょこう旅行でしゃしんをとったり写真を撮ったり、おいしいものをたべたり食べたりした。
On the trip, I did things like taking photos and eating delicious food.
Polite: たり～たりします
まいあさ毎朝じょぎんぐジョギングしたり、すとれっちストレッチしたりしています。
Every morning, I do things like jogging and stretching.
Negative: たり～たりしない
じゅぎょうちゅう授業中ははなしたり話したり、けいたい携帯をみたり見たりしないでください。
Please don't do things like talking or looking at your phone during class.

Contrast or alternation

たり～たり can also express alternating or contrasting states, such as something happening on and off:

。

The weather keeps alternating between sunny and cloudy.

。

My fever keeps going up and down.

Examples

、。

On weekends, I do things like read books and listen to music.

、。

Yesterday I did things like talking with friends and playing games.

、。

On my days off, I do things like going shopping and cooking.

、。

During summer break, I want to do things like swimming and climbing mountains.

。

Please don't eat or drink during class.

、。

In Japan, I did things like eating sushi and visiting temples.

、。

On the train, I do things like listen to music and read books.

。

The weather keeps going back and forth between sunny and rainy.

、。

The children were running and laughing (among other things).

、。

For breakfast, I eat things like bread or rice.

、。

Recently, the temperature has been going up and down.

、、。

When I'm free, I do things like drawing and taking walks.

References

The Particle たりimabi.org