what did they mean to use くる in the past time?


I think くる in this sentence is supposed to be in past tense, right ? then why
did they use くる here ?

> 戦後、経済の高度成長とともに、生活にも少し余裕ができてくると、欧米の生活様式や考え方がたくさん入ってきた。




> 「Mini-Sentence **A** + **と** + Mini-Sentence **B** 」

In this sentence pattern using the conjunctive particle 「 **と** 」(" **
_when_** "), the **main verb in Mini Sentence A must always be in the
predicative form (terminal form)** . There is no exception to this rule
whether you like it or not. It does not matter when the action/event described
by that verb took place. In this respect, **Mini Sentence A is tense-less**.

(The predicative form **_happens_** to be the same as the present-tense form,
but that does not mean you can call the verb in Mini-Sentence A the "present-
tense form".)

Mini Sentence **B** , however, must be put in the correct tense that will
indicate when the action took/takes/will take place.

> 「戦後{せんご}、経済{けいざい}の高度成長{こうどせいちょう}とともに、生活{せいかつ}にも少{すこ}し余裕{よゆう}ができて **くる**
> と、欧米{おうべい}の生活様式{せいかつようしき}や考{かんが}え方{かた}がたくさん入{はい}って **きた** 。」

This sentence is a good example of that rule in use. **Everything that is
described in the sentence took place a few decades ago including
「生活にも少し余裕ができてくる」**. The fact that that mini-sentence would be written in the
past tense in English is completely irrelevant as the language we are
discussing here is none other than Japanese.

If your goal, however, is translation (instead of Japanese reading
comprehension), then that should sound most natural in the target language. Go
ahead and put 「余裕ができてくる」 in the past tense.

My own TL attempt:

> "After WWII, when people started having money to spare as our economy
> boomed, a great deal of western life styles and ideas began to be imported."




> 「Mini-Sentence **A** + **と** + Mini-Sentence **B** 」

In this sentence pattern using the conjunctive particle 「 **と** 」(" **
_when_** "), the **main verb in Mini Sentence A must always be in the
predicative form (terminal form)** . There is no exception to this rule
whether you like it or not. It does not matter when the action/event described
by that verb took place. In this respect, **Mini Sentence A is tense-less**.

(The predicative form **_happens_** to be the same as the present-tense form,
but that does not mean you can call the verb in Mini-Sentence A the "present-
tense form".)

Mini Sentence **B** , however, must be put in the correct tense that will
indicate when the action took/takes/will take place.

> 「戦後{せんご}、経済{けいざい}の高度成長{こうどせいちょう}とともに、生活{せいかつ}にも少{すこ}し余裕{よゆう}ができて **くる**
> と、欧米{おうべい}の生活様式{せいかつようしき}や考{かんが}え方{かた}がたくさん入{はい}って **きた** 。」

This sentence is a good example of that rule in use. **Everything that is
described in the sentence took place a few decades ago including
「生活にも少し余裕ができてくる」**. The fact that that mini-sentence would be written in the
past tense in English is completely irrelevant as the language we are
discussing here is none other than Japanese.

If your goal, however, is translation (instead of Japanese reading
comprehension), then that should sound most natural in the target language. Go
ahead and put 「余裕ができてくる」 in the past tense.

My own TL attempt:

> "After WWII, when people started having money to spare as our economy
> boomed, a great deal of western life styles and ideas began to be imported."

