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I am reading a passage, the first line is as follows.

自治会から、留学生数人との交流会があるとの連絡を受け、行ってみた。

I got a message from student association that there would be a gathering with some exchange students and I went to check it out.

What I don't understand is the purpose of と in the second line as follows. I don't think と in this case is to construct a conditional phrase.

自己紹介が終わると、司会役が「日本に来て、驚いたことは」と質問した。

Having self-introduced, the moderator asked, "What stroked you when you arrived in Japan?".

Why did the author use 「自己紹介が終わると、」 rather than 「自己紹介が終わって、」?

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  • This falls under the "if/when" usage, of which there are many an example on the interwebs. "When [his] self-introduction was finished, the moderator asked..." – kiss-o-matic Jun 2 '16 at 20:45
  • @kiss-o-matic. Not exactly. The first example has nothing to do with "if/when" usage. It's totally different usage of と from conjugation. – Yoichi Oishi Jun 2 '16 at 21:11
  • @kiss-o-matic: Who did self-introduction? The moderator? The author? Or the exchange students? – Money Sets You Free Jun 3 '16 at 1:09
  • @Yoichi Oishi I was referring to the second example... the one the OP was specifically asking for. – kiss-o-matic Jun 3 '16 at 12:18
  • @Yasashii Eirian The author, most likely. It's inferred - something that happens often in Japanese. – kiss-o-matic Jun 3 '16 at 12:19
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「と」has two (or possibly more) different usages.

「と」in「交流会があるとの連絡」mean “that” or “to the effect” as you rightly interpreted. It explains the contents of antecedent as in:

増税時期を延期するとの総理の発表 - the Prime Minister’s announcement to postpone the timing of tax raise.

彼が結婚するとのうわさ – the rumor that he is going to marry.

昨日ニューヨークについたとの電話 – the phone (telling me) that he arrived in New York yesterday.

「と」in「自己紹介が終わると」is a conjugation to mean “after, when” as in:

試験を終えるとほっとした – Now that I finished the exam, I’m fully relaxed.

その話を聞くとぞっとする – When (as) I hear that story, I get shivers.

窓を開けると富士山が見えた – When I opened the window, there was the Mt. Fuji right there.

「自己紹介が終わると」and「自己紹介が終わって」are saying the same thing.

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  • It is irrelevant to my question. By the way, there is a typo in your profile, "Stock Exchange" should be changed to "Stack Exchange". :-) – Money Sets You Free Jun 3 '16 at 2:00
  • @yasashii Eirian. Sorry for my answer not being of any help to you. If it was irrelevant to your question, just neglect it. As there were two up-votes I left it as it is. It appears to have helped other than you as OP. Thanks for your pointing out my misspelling 'Stack Exchange', I admit I'm a notoriously poor speller. I tried to correct the typo, but I don't know how to do it. I pressed 'update profile' button for correction, but it simply returned the link to 'copy. – Yoichi Oishi Jun 3 '16 at 3:27
  • You misunderstood. "It is irrelevant to my question." was written to support my next comment about your typo. In other words, "it is irrelevant to my question" has nothing to do with your answer. Your answer is helpful and I voted it up. To correct the typo, first visit your profile and then click "Edit Profile & Settings", the remaining should be clear. – Money Sets You Free Jun 3 '16 at 3:43
  • @Yasashi Eirian. It was good to know that my answer was of some help to you. I looked for "Edit Profile & Settings" link in my profile in this site as you suggested, but couldn't find it anywhere below my profile but for "Update Profile Info." below the statement. Underneath that was the row of [top, accounts, reputation, activity, favorites, inbox, subscription, and flair], and nothing else. – Yoichi Oishi Jun 3 '16 at 5:01
  • First, go to your profile page and click the button. For more detailed, see this screenshot. – Money Sets You Free Jun 3 '16 at 6:25

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