At a glance
Noun がてら means "while doing A, also doing B" or "doing B, which also serves as A". One trip or action does two jobs at once, and the main verb is usually a movement verb like 行く or 歩く.
[Noun] がてら、[main action]
[Verb masu-stem] がてら、[main action]
散歩がてら、パンを買いに行きました。 I went to buy bread, and it was also a walk.
How to form it
がてら attaches directly to an action noun or to the verb masu-stem. The main verb at the end carries tense and politeness.
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (action) | Noun + がてら | 買い物がてら |
| する-verb | Noun + がてら / Noun + し + がてら | 散歩がてら / 散歩しがてら |
| Other verbs | masu-stem + がてら | 行きがてら |
The dictionary form is not used: 散歩するがてら is incorrect.