Do transitive verbs require a subject when translated? How to deal with inferred subjects?


One line examples rarely have enough context to infer. What about this
sentence that needs an inferred subject?

> 田中さんは部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、いきなり窓を全部開けた。

"開ける" is transitive, so how would a proper translation deal with the lack of
an explicit subject in the main clause?

  1. Just as Tanaka entered the room, **Tanaka** opened all the windows. `(given what ~ かと思うと... means this does not sound correct.)`
  2. Just as Tanaka entered the room, **someone** `(who we've already talked about)` opened all the windows.
  3. Just as Tanaka entered the room, **all** the windows opened. (`a paraphrase using "to open" intransitively`)

For a _translation_ , **#2** makes sense to me but I don't like that empty
inference of `someone`. For a _paraphrase_ , **#3** is better because then
nothing is inferred; the missing subject is hidden. What do you think?




You should parse the sentence this way:

> 田中さんは［部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、］いきなり窓を全部開けた。  
>  (≂ 部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、田中さんはいきなり窓を全部開けた。)

The subject of the main clause (= いきなり窓を全部開けた) is 田中さん because it's marked
with は.

部屋に入ってきたかと思うと is a subordinate clause, and the subject of a subordinate clause
should be marked with が, as in 田中さん **が** 部屋に入ってきたかと思うと. To mean "Just as
Tanaka entered the room, someone opened all the windows", you'd say 「田中さん
**が** (not 田中さん **は** )部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、XXはいきなり窓を全部開けた」 or 「XXは、田中さん **が**
部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、いきなり窓を全部開けた」.

As you might know, ～たかと思うと means ～やいなや or ～とすぐに, "as soon as ~~" "right after
doing ~~"

So your sentence means #1 "Just as Tanaka entered the room (or, On entering
the room / Right after he entered the room), Tanaka opened all the windows."




You should parse the sentence this way:

> 田中さんは［部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、］いきなり窓を全部開けた。  
>  (≂ 部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、田中さんはいきなり窓を全部開けた。)

The subject of the main clause (= いきなり窓を全部開けた) is 田中さん because it's marked
with は.

部屋に入ってきたかと思うと is a subordinate clause, and the subject of a subordinate clause
should be marked with が, as in 田中さん **が** 部屋に入ってきたかと思うと. To mean "Just as
Tanaka entered the room, someone opened all the windows", you'd say 「田中さん
**が** (not 田中さん **は** )部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、XXはいきなり窓を全部開けた」 or 「XXは、田中さん **が**
部屋に入ってきたかと思うと、いきなり窓を全部開けた」.

As you might know, ～たかと思うと means ～やいなや or ～とすぐに, "as soon as ~~" "right after
doing ~~"

So your sentence means #1 "Just as Tanaka entered the room (or, On entering
the room / Right after he entered the room), Tanaka opened all the windows."

