At a glance
Verbる なり means "as soon as" or "the moment". It is used when someone does something, and right after that, the same person does something else. The second action is often a sudden or surprising reaction.
Verb (dictionary form) + なり、[what the same person did next]
彼女は私の顔を見るなり、泣き出した。 The moment she saw my face, she burst into tears.
How to form it
The verb before なり is always in the plain dictionary form, even when the sentence ends in the past or in polite form.
| Verb group | Dictionary form | + なり |
|---|---|---|
| う-verb | 聞く | 聞くなり |
| る-verb | 見る | 見るなり |
| する | 帰宅する | 帰宅するなり |
| 来る | 来る | 来るなり |
Only the end of the sentence changes for politeness: 寝た (casual) or 寝ました (polite).