日本語道場
Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2
N2
~ともなると
~to mo naru to
when it comes to; once it reaches
When to use it
Use ~ともなると when a certain stage, time of year, rank, or scale has been reached and, as a natural consequence, things are qualitatively different. It carries a tone of "as one would expect at that level," so it suits reports, analyses, and commentary rather than casual talk. Common in written business Japanese; ~ともなれば is a near-synonym, and the plainer ~になると lacks the sense of "that's a different league."
Formation
Examples
Once it's closing season, overtime is unavoidable.
Once you're a department head, your decisions carry a different weight.
With a large-scale deal, internal approval takes time.
Once annual sales hit ten billion, audits get stricter too.
When it comes to expanding overseas, that's another matter entirely.