Two Kinds of Midway
1. Physically en route.
- 帰る**途中で**買い物をした。(I shopped on the way home.)
2. Partway through an activity.
- 映画の**途中で**寝てしまった。(I fell asleep partway through the film.)
途中で vs 途中に
| Form | Sense |
|---|---|
| 途中で | something happens midway — the common one |
| 途中に | something exists along the route |
駅までの途中に本屋がある — the bookshop is located on the way. で would mean something happened there.
Against 最中に
Both cover "in the middle of", and the difference is temperature:
| Pattern | Feel |
|---|---|
| 最中に | at the peak, and interrupted — usually unwelcome |
| 途中で | simply partway — neutral |
Leaving a meeting 途中で is just leaving early. Leaving it 最中に sounds like you walked out.
途中まで
まで gives "up to a point, then stopped": 途中まで読んだ (I read partway and stopped).