Usage of 「と」in a sentence from Harry Potter


In the following sentence

> ダーズリー一家【いっか】が目【め】を覚【さ】ます **と** 、外【そと】はどんよりとした灰色【はいいろ】の空【そら】だった。

「と」is used in a place where I'd rather use 「とき」 or 「たら」. I know that 「と」is
used for inevitable conditions like facts of nature but it doesn't fit that
sentence.

  1. Does particle 「と」has another meaning similar to 「とき」in the context of the above sentence? If so, is there a difference between the two?

  2. Similarly「と」and 「たら」(I think the difference here would be 「と」being more formal than 「たら」).




It's very subtle.「とき」puts more emphasis on time so usually reserved for more
memorable occasions which often happened further back in time--like "the time
when Sarah turned 30" would be a time to bust out「とき」.

  * 「と」= "When the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..." 
  * 「とき」= "That time when the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..."

Cheers!




It's very subtle.「とき」puts more emphasis on time so usually reserved for more
memorable occasions which often happened further back in time--like "the time
when Sarah turned 30" would be a time to bust out「とき」.

  * 「と」= "When the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..." 
  * 「とき」= "That time when the Dursleys woke up, the sky was..."

Cheers!

