「みんな、どのくらい私のこと好き？」
= Minna donokurai watashi no koto suki?
= How much does everyone love me?
Hi everyone! Sorry that I haven’t uploaded new lessons for a while.
I’ve been busy making a couple of long and tough lessons.
Meanwhile, I will make this lesson for my dear Twitter follower, Patrick.
He wants me to make a lesson on くらい／ぐらい ( = kurai/ gurai)
Actually I mentioned it before in a frequency lesson in the past.
but I will teach you various ways to use it in this lesson.
OK, 位 = くらい／ぐらい ( = kurai/gurai) means approximately and it is used to describe the degree, amount, or extent of something.
We also use it when we ask rough numbers: around, more or less, ballpark
📝 Note : 位 : you can read it either as ” kurai” or “gurai.”
★frequency:
Ex. どのくらい（ぐらい）の割合で洗濯しますか？
= Dono kurai/gurai no wariai de sentaku shimasuka?
= How often do you do the laundry?
Ex. 一週間にどれくらい（ぐらい）彼に電話しますか？
= Isshuukan ni dore kurai/gurai kare ni denwa wo shimasu ka?
= How often do you call him a week?
Note : どのくらい（ぐらい）( = dono kurai/gurai) = どれくらい（ぐらい）( = dorekurai/gurai) are the same meaning.
★money :
Ex. その洋服どれくらい（ぐらい）したの？
= Sono youfuku dore kurai/gurai shitano?
= How much did that clothes cost you (more or less)?
(Note : If you ask for a precise number, you would say,
その洋服いくらしたの？
= Sono youfuku ikura shitano?
= How much did that clothes cost?
★ time:
Ex. どれくらい（ぐらい）待った？
= Dore kurai/gurai matta?
= How long did you wait?
Ex.１０分くらい（ぐらい）かな？
= Juppun kurai/gurai kana?
= Around 10 minutes, I think.
Ex. 今、何時くらい（ぐらい）？
= Ima nanji kurai/gurai?
= What time is it now?
Ex. ５時くらい（ぐらい）じゃない？
= Goji kurai/gurai janai?
= I think it’s 5-ish.
Note :
As I mentioned in my 曖昧表現 = aimai hyougen = ambiguous expression lesson, Japanese people tend to avoid direct expressions.
So instead of saying,
明日会わない？= Ashita awanai? = Do you want to get together tomorrow?
we often say,
Ex. 明日くらい（ぐらい）に会わない？
= Ashita kurai/gurai ni awanai?
= Do you want to see me tomorrow?
Note : The translation is the same but 明日くらい(ぐらい）( = ashita kurai/gurai) means sometime around tomorrow and it doesn’t have to be tomorrow.)
Ex. 何時くらい（ぐらい）にお電話をしたらよろしいでしょうか？
= Nanji kurai/gurai ni odenwa wo shitara yoroshii deshouka?
= Around what time could I call you?
★amount:
Ex. お砂糖はどれくらい（ぐらい）入れたらいいですか？
= Osatou wa dorekurai/gurai iretara iidesu ka?
= How much sugar should I put?
Ex.これくらい（ぐらい）でいいですか？
= Kore kurai/gurai de iidesu ka?
= Is this (much) OK?
Ex.はい、それくらい（ぐらい）でいいです。
= Hai, sore kurai/gurai de ii
= Yes, that (much) will be fine.
Ex. ちょっとくらい（ぐらい）教えてくれたっていいじゃない！
= Chotto kurai/gurai oshitete kuretatte iijanai!
= You can tell me just a little bit!
Ex. 少しくらい（ぐらい）は英語が話せる様になりたい。
= Sukoshi kurai/gurai wa eigo ga hanaseru you ni naritai.
= I would like to be able to speak English even a little.
Ex. そのくらい（ぐらい）私でも知ってる。
= Sono kurai/gurai watashi demo shitteru.
= Even I know something like that.
Exこれくらい（ぐらい）でいいですか？
= Kore kurai/gurai de iidesu ka?
= About this much will do?
★degree:
Ex. 彼の秘密どれくらい（ぐらい）知ってるの？
= Kare no himitsu dore kurai/gurai shitteru no?
= How much do you know about his secret?
Ex. 今日はもうそれくらい（ぐらい）にしといてあげる。
= Kyou wa mou sore kurai/gurai ni shiteoite ageru
= It is enough for today. I will let you go now.
Ex. あなたと同じくらい（ぐらい）彼のことが好きです。
= Anata to onaji kurai/gurai kare no koto ga suki desu.
= I love him as much as you.
Or it could be
= I love him as much as you do.
Ex. そんなことくらい（ぐらい）で落ち込まないで。
= Sonna koto kurai/gurai de ochikomanaide.
= Don’t get depressed over such a thing.
★as much as:
Ex. 彼は、私のお父さんと同じくらい（ぐらい）の背丈です。
= Kare wa watashi no otousan to onaji kurai/gurai no setake desu.
= He is as tall as my father.
Ex. 僕の先生がマギー先生くらい（ぐらい） 綺麗だったらいいのに… :)
= Boku no sensei ga Maggie sensei kurai/gurai kirei dattara ii noni. www
= I wish my teacher was as beautiful as Maggie Sensei…
★age:
Ex. ５歳くらい（ぐらい）の子供が迷子になっています。
= Gosai kurai/gurai no kodomo ga maigo ni natte imasu.
= A child around five years old is wandering off (his/her parents.)
★size:
Ex. これと同じくらい（ぐらい）の大きさのダイヤが欲しい！
= Kore to onaji kurai/gurai no ookisa no daiya ga hoshii.
= I would like to have a diamond as big as this one.
★ space/ distance:
Ex.これくらい（ぐらい）広い家に住みたい。
= Kore kurai/gurai hiroi ie ni sumitai.
= I would like to live in a house as big as this one.
Ex. 学校から家までどのくらい（ぐらい）の距離ですか？
= Gakkou kara ie made dono kurai/gurai no kyori desuka?
= How far is it from the school to your house?
★capacity:
Ex. あと１０名くらい（ぐらい）入れます。
= Ato juumei kurai/gurai hairemasu.
= Around 10 more people will fit.
★ only
Pattern :
(description) はAくらい（ぐらい）
= (description) no wa A kurai/gurai da.
= The only one who the speaker could think of for (description) is A.
Ex. こんなものを食べれるのはマギーくらい／ぐらいだ。
= Konna mono wo tabereru no wa Maggie kurai/gurai da.
= The only one who could eat such a thing is Maggie.
Ex.この不景気の中、もうかっている遊園地は東京ディズニーくらい（ぐらい）だろう。
= Kono fukeiki no naka moukatte iru yuuenchi Toukyou Dezunii kurai/gurai darou.
=The only amusement park which is making profits in this recession must be Tokyo Disneyland.
★ at least:
Ex. 御礼くらい(ぐらい）言ったら？
= Orei kurai/gurai ittara?
= You could at least say, “Thank you”.
Ex. せめてこれくらい（ぐらい）ご馳走させて下さい。
= Semete kore kurai/gurai gochisou sasete kudasai.
= At least let me treat you here.
Ex.声くらい（ぐらい）かけてくれたらよかったのに。
= Koe kurai/gurai kakete kuretara yokatta noni.
= You could have at least talked to me.
Ex.一緒にお茶くらい（ぐらい）飲んでくれたっていいじゅない！
= Issho ni ocha kurai/gurai nonde kuretatte iijanai?
= You could at least have a cup of tea with me!
★ so …. that it would ….
Ex. うれしくて叫びたいくらい(ぐらい）！
= Ureshikute sakebi kurai/gurai!
= I feel so happy that I almost shouted.
Ex.彼はかわいそうなくらい(ぐらい)しょげていた。
= Kare wa kawaisou na kurai/gurai shogete ita.
= He was so disappointed that we felt sorry for him.
Ex. 屋根が落ちそうなくらい(ぐらい）雪が積もった。
= Yane ga ochisou na kurai/gurai yuki ga tsumotta.
= It snowed enough to make the roof practically fall in. (But it didn’t fall.)
★ would rather do B than do A
* Pattern : A (verb)くらい (ぐらい）なら ( = A (verb) kurai nara) B (verb) の方がまし ( = B (verb) no hou ga mashi)
or B (verb) 方がいい (B (verb) hou ga ii)
= would rather do B than do A
Ex. あなたと別れるくらい(ぐらい）なら死んだ方がましよ！(female talk)
= Anna to wakareru kurai/gurai nara shindahou ga mashi!
= I would rather die than break up with you.
Ex. 途中であきらめるくらい（ぐらい）なら最初からやらない方がいい。
= Tochuu de akirarameru kurai/gurai nara saisho kara yaranai hou ga mashida
= If you give up the halfway through, it is better not to even start in the first place.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
今日のレッスンはこのくらい（ぐらい）にしておきます。
= Kyou no ressun wa kono kurai/gurai ni shite okimasu.
= Let’s stop here for today. (Literally: I will stop today’s lesson around here.)
***
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101 Comments
Hey, Maggie-sensei! I thought I had a pretty good grasp on くらい, but then I came across this sentence:
言葉にならないくらいです。
I understand this means something to the effect of “(I’m so happy) I can’t put it into words,” but I don’t really understand くらい’s purpose here. Help me, Maggie-sensei!
Hello Ants,
言葉にできないくらいうれしい
so happy that I can’t even put into words
So the degree of the speaker’s happiness is to the extent that he/she can’t even express.
The more Japanese I learn, the more I find my way here :D
好きな先生。教えてくれてありがとう！
Hi humanbean,
Thank you for your nice comment!
Love you! ❤️
Hello!
I’ve come across this lyric:
怠いくらいの快晴だ
which is officially translated as “It’s weather that makes you lazy” and I wanted to see exactly what that くらい means, so I was reading your lesson here (which is awesome by the way) trying to find what category it fits in. Is it the second to last category that you wrote? I mean, can I think of it as “It’s such a weather that it makes you lazy”? Can it be used like this too?
I’m sorry if it’s a stupid question.
Hi Natalia,
You can categorized in “degree” or “So ~ that ~ would”. but you can just add it “It is like ~”
adjective + くらいの + noun
You describe the nouns by using a little extreme adjective and express the quality or characteristic of the noun.
Oh thank you!
So by the same model, can I say for example: 甘いくらいのケーキ ?
Cake is sweet anyway so you just say 甘いケーキ
But you can describe it with a little extreme expression such as
めまいがするぐらい甘いケーキ
The cake is so sweet that you would feel dizzy if you eat it.
おはようございます先生、What is the difference between くらい /ぐらい？and what is the difference between くらい/ほど
こんにちは、S. Abinaya
くらい・ぐらい are the same and they are interchangeable.
As for the difference between くらい/ほど
When it is used as “about/approximately”
ほど is more formal than くらい
Ex. ５分くらい・ぐらい
Ex. ５分ほど
But some of the specific usages such as
食べれば食べるほど、太る
The more you eat, the fatter you become
マギーほどかわいい犬はいない。
There is no dog as cute as Maggie.
you can’t use くらい
(Check this lesson for the usage ほど）
はい先生わかりました。
ありがとうございました
先生！！^_^
どういたしまして❤️
Sensei:
I came across this paragraph:
『ご免なさい。』と彼はいって、じっと眼を窓外に放ちながら、三分間ばかりは無言のままで坐っていた。やがて、重々しく吐息をつき、再びわたしの前へ座を占めた。彼の顔はまるで別人のようになり、その眼はいかにもみじめで、ほとんど奇怪なといっていいくらい一種異様な微笑が、脣のあたりに皺を寄せているのであった。
Is いい working with くらい . I mean when I translate it literally, I do it this way, but I am not sure:
ほとんど奇怪なといっていいくらい一種異様な微笑が、
almost+ strange といって (for という） good くらい(approx.) eccentric smileが、
In other words: Those eyes were wretched, aa eccentric smile almost like strange.
Is it correct, Sensei?
前もってお願いします。
Hi David,
Yes, your interpretation is right. Almost ~
The literal meaning of ~といっていいくらい is “as one could say/describe ~ ”
(Note for you: 前もってお願いします→よろしくお願いします。）
はい先生わかりました。どうもありがとうございました。
よかった！ :)
hello maggie-sensei! I have a good grasp on how くらい works but I saw the following sentence “この勢いに負けないくらい私も頑張るぞ～” and can’t quite figure out the usage of くらい if I were to translate that sentence. The context is that another person achieved something and this person said that. Thank you in advance!
Hello, rubemar junior,
負ける means “to lose”
負けないくらい is “(adjective) enough so that one won’t lose” →as good as ~ / as much as ~ / as (adjective) as ~~ and this くらい expresses the amount/degree of this power.
So I will try as hard as this power/energy.
Hello, Maggie-sensei! Thank you for this and all of your other lessons, and especially for responding to user questions.
I recently came across this following sentiment:
彼は怒ってるくらいでちょうどいい
I am wondering if this くらい is being used similar to verb A + くらいなら verb Bの方がいい (better for him to be angry than to be ), or if it’s くらい in the sense of amount (he is currently the right (ちょうどいい) amount of angry)?
I’m an aspiring translator who has been learning Japanese for ten years, but Maggie-sensei’s posts are a resource I always come back to. (就職できると、パトロンになるつもりですよ。約束します！)
*better for him to be angry than to be [something else]
^ originally the brackets were angle brackets, which got hidden as HTML.
Hi エリ！ Happy to hear you have been using my site!
Q: I am wondering if this くらい is being used similar to verb A + くらいなら verb Bの方がいい (better for him to be angry than to be ), or if it’s くらい in the sense of amount (he is currently the right (ちょうどいい) amount of angry)?
→The later. in the sense of amount (he is currently the right (ちょうどいい) amount of angry)
I can’t imagine the context but for example, it matches to his personality or something.
Haha! Perfect. どうもありがとうございました！
どういたしまして💕
My sensei,
What is the difference between どれだけ・どれほど・どれくらい
They sound the same to me !!!!
When you are talking about the degree
Ex. 彼のこと、どれだけ／どれほど／どれくらい好きなの？
= How much do you like him?
(They are interchangeable: だけ/ぐらい sounds a little more casual than ほど）
You don’t use どれほど when you talk about time/amount, quantity
Ex. How long you have been waiting? (Asking about the time)
= どれぐらい待っていますか？／待ってるの？ （Xどれほど）
(Pouring some beer)
Ex. ビール、どれだけ／どれくらいいる？
= How much beer do you want?（Xどれほど）
Oh my God, it’s clear now!!!
Thank you sensei
よかった〜☺️
hah, Everytime i look for a Japanese language construct that’s giving me trouble and i look it up I’m always hoping i end up in your page, and it often happens!
so, after this lesson I’m pretty sure i understand what i was looking for, but i feel this has a nuanca that is not covered:
鬼太郎いくら夏休みだからってたまには妖怪ポストぐらい見たらどうだい
which i interpret as
“kitaro, however much it’s summer holiday, how about you just look at the yokai post?”
similar expressions appear often in kitaro often with some kind of mocking or scolding tone
Hi takosuke
That usage of くらい／ぐらい is “at least” or “even” in this lesson.
いくら〜だからって = Even though
Kitaro, even though it’s summer vacation, you should at least check youkai mail box.
Maggie sensei,
Long time no see.
I’m reviewing the kurai lesson. And some questions occur in my mind. Could you please help me!
あなたと別れるくらい(ぐらい）なら死んだ方がましよ
Is ほどpossible to use here
あなたと別れるほどなら死んだ方がましよ 。Is it OK or not ?
Thank you for always helping us.
Hi, how have you been?
No, you can’t use ほど in that sentence.
Maggie sensei,
Thank you for making lesson on くらい・ぐらい.
I think it’s a complicated topic.
May I ask a question that
IS くらいinterchangeable with ほど in the comparison like
彼は私ほど高くない。
ｰ>彼は私くらい高くない。Is this sentence OK or not
To me, くらい is a tough topic. Because it can be used for all kind of comparison, 同じ程度、一番高い程度、一番軽い程度、etc. What a…..(no word to say) !
Thanks Maggie sensei for always helping us
Hello,
彼は私ほど高くない。
ｰ>彼は私くらい高くない。Is this sentence OK or not
→No, you can’t use くらい in that sentence.
They could be interchangeable, “approximately/about”
Ex. 10人ぐらいの人が集まった。
→１０人ほどの人が集まった。
Thanks Maggie sensei as always !
You’re welcome! :)
hello sensei, what’s the meaning of ぐらい in this sentence? I’m pretty lost here
ずっとこれぐらいの季節が続いたらいいのになあ
if it helps, it’s a conversation about the autumn
thank you n_n
Hi Scarlet!
このぐらいの季節 this kind of season
(Maybe it refers to the temperature / nice and cool weather)
What is the general sense of ぐらい in this sentence?
「無駄を省くのが癖になってね。
楽しんでるくらいだよ。」
Something like ‘just enough to be content’?
In this case ぐらい expresses the degree of how much this person enjoy eliminating waste.
I even enjoy doing it.
Sorry, I meant how would it be translated? Thanks again
Hi Bere!
Is it from a Zard song?
心が痛いくらい literal meaning is “like my heart aches” but you can translate it “painfully”. It’s an expression. :)
Hi! First of all thank you for all your lessons. I’ve learned a lot with you. I want to ask if in the sentences 痛いくらい 想い溢れて and 痛いくらい君があふれている “kurai”. is really necessary or what would it be translated?? Thank you
すみみません
どして 新完全ますた(N3)には質問「日本で富士山ぐらい＿山はないと思う。」が答え「きれい」ですか
１・きれい ２・高い ３・ほかの
まったくわかりませんでした
だって 「高い」も適当じゃないか
マギー先生 詳しく答えいたけませんか お願いします！
１・きれい(な)!
of course
OK, you have to focus on the verb 思う which expresses one’s opinion and everybody (at least in Japan) knows that Mt.Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan. It’s a well known fact.
So it is not natural to use 高い.
Meanwhile, きれい is a personal opinion so you can say 富士山ぐらいきれいな山はないと思う。
Thanks a lot
You’re welcome! :)
Maggie sensei こんにちは！
I’m sorry to bother you one more time…
I was wondering what are the differences among あ/そ/こ/どれぐらい/ほど/だけ?
失礼だとしたら、すみませんでした！
お願いいたします！
@Daniele
Hi Daniele,
To be honest the difference is a bit complicated. I don’t know how much I can explain in this comment section but…
the translation could be the same, this much, that much, that much (when you refer to something far / talk about the past) and in some cases they are interchangeable.
When you are talking about the vague degree/amount of something.
(Please tell me how much money it will cost me (more or less)/ About this much.)
どれぐらいお金がかかるか教えてください。 これぐらいかかります。
どれだけお金がかかるか教えてください。 これだけかかります。(more conversational)
どれほどお金がかかるか教えてください。△ これほどかかります。△ (You may hear people say these and they may sound polite but I would say you use ぐらい・だけ more)
1) あれぐらい・それぐらい・ これぐらい・ どれぐらい
*talking about the amount
As in my example sentences you can use it for something tangible.
Ex. 砂糖をどれだけいれますか？How much sugar…
Ex. 砂糖は、これだけ入れてください。this much sugar…
and also something intangible
Ex. 私も勉強をあれぐらいやらないといけない。
= I should study that much.
2) あれだけ・それだけ・ これだけ・ どれだけ
(1) “only” or “just”
Just this much/ that much/ that much (further than それだけ）
I just have this much money.
お金がこれだけしかない。
えっ？それだけしかないの？
What? That’s all you have?
If you are looking at the sugar bag which is far from you or recalling certain time in the past.
彼、お金、あれだけしかないんだって。
= I heard he just has that much money.
(2) emphasizing the amount.
Although I told him this/that much, he just doesn’t get it.
彼は、これだけ私が言ってもわからない。 Refering to the event which happened just recently.
あなたが、それだけ言ってもわからないの? The listener just heard what happened.
あれだけ言ってもわからない。 Recalling the past event.
Sometimes they are interchangeable with ほど
あれだけ・ほど言ってもわからないなんて
I can’t believe they don’t understand me even though I told them that much.
3) あれほど・それほど・ これほど・ どれほど
It indicates the degrees.
あれほどの人はいない There is nobody like that person. (He/She is great.)
それほどでもないです It is not that big deal. (You can’t replace it with ぐらい/だけ）
I have a lesson on ほど so please check that lesson to know the functions more.
Interesting question and very interesting and useful answer.
Thank you, Maggie!
@天人
:maggie-small: boucingheart!
Maggie-sensei! I love your lessons and all the time you take to help explain things. Thank you very much for all your work and effort! Perhaps you can help me with a sentence. I’m trying to translate it, but I’m not sure how accurate it is.
ひとりぐらい増えても構いません。
I’m wondering why the ‘gurai’ word is used with a noun (hitori). I understand the sentence to mean something like “It doesn’t matter that I’m alone more often”, but I’m not sure why ‘gurai’ is used in conjunction with ‘hitori’.
Maybe you can help me explain! よろしくお願いします！
@AC
こんにちは、AC! メッセージありがとう！
ひとりぐらい増えても構いません。
→It will be easier to think this sentence as a conditional
（人数は）ひとりぐらい（なら）増えても構いません。
(Literal translation)ひとりぐらい（なら）= If just one person, 増えても構いません。= it doesn’t matter if we have more.
(You can increase the number of people, if it is just one person or so. It doesn’t matter.)
→I don’t mind (It doesn’t matter) if we have one more person.
Oh, I think I understand now. It’s very tricky, but I’ll keep trying to learn. Thank you very much for your help!
Is this kind of sentence construction considered very ‘casual’? The context of where this is from is from dialogue, so maybe it is different from how it would be in print.
Maggie-sensei, just want to say that your explanations stand out among a lot of other websites out there. You almost always consider every possible edge case and capture every nuance!
In this particular sentence, can ほど also be used to say something like:
五人ほど増えても、構いません。
Hello wireman
First of all, thank you so much for your kind words! 😊
Yes, you can use ほど in that context as well.
ほど is more formal.
Thanks so much for replying! Just registered as a patron on your Patreon. You are awesome :)
Dear wireman,
Oh, that was you!
Thank you sooo much for your support!
Please feel free to ask me question on Patreon as well. :)
Looking forward to making more lesson there,too.
マギー先生、
こんにちは。
下の文の場合は、「ぐらい」の意味は何ですか？
１）持ち帰れないぐらいのお土産を頂いた。
２）あの人ぐらい日本語が上手に話せたらいい。
よろしくお願いします！
@Selene
こんにちは、Selene
1) Indicates a lot of amount of omiyage that I can’t even hold.
2) Indicates the level of Japanese speaking ability.
I would be happy if I can speak Japanese as well as that person.
Maggie-sensei こんにちは！
Thanks for all the useful lessons you posted so far!
I’d like to ask, if it’s not of too much trouble, if it’s correct to say (among all the available ways…I would like to use ぐらいの+Noun):
ここから美術館まで３０分ぐらいの道はそちらですか
when asking “The way crossing which from here to the art museum needs about 30 minutes, is over there?”.
Then if I need to say “From here to the art museum there are more than ３０ minutes”, which one I should use in 以上も and 以上に?
ここから美術館まで３０分以上もかかります。
Thanks a lot Maggie-sensei!
@Daniele
ここから美術館まで３０分ぐらいの道はそちらですか
when asking “The way crossing which from here to the art museum needs about 30 minutes, is over there?”.
→Hmm it is grammatically correct but somehow it doesn’t sound natural because you usually ask
* how long does it take to the museum
* how long does it take to the museum if you take this street
* which way is the shortest to go to the museum.
The second question
ここから美術館まで３０分以上かかります。
If the speaker thinks 30 minutes is way too long to take, you say
30分以上もかかります。
Thank you very much for the explanation!
@Daniele
You’re very welcome, Daniele! ❤
Oh, I see.
Thank you Maggie Sensei, I really appreciate your help. I also feel amazed that you’re keeping to reply all of our questions on the same day. :)
＠Pat
You’re very welcome, Pat! boucingheart!
Hello Maggie Sensei!
Are “dore kurai/gurai” and “dono kurai/gurai” interchangeable?
Using your example, “dore gurai matta?”, can I also say “dono gurai matta?” ?
Thank you very much :)
@Pat
Hi Pat,
Yes, they are interchangeable. :)
What is different between kurai and gurai
＠Sangam
Either one is fine now. You can use them both.
Could you help me with this sentence?
ふいに見渡す世界は
美しいくらいに静かだ
I thought it might be “Unexpectedly, the world I’m looking out over/ Is so beautiful I become quiet.” But that’s filling in a lot of words that don’t seem to be there. And I’m not sure about the first part; looking out over the world would make sense, but isn’t 見渡す modifying 世界?
Anyways, please help! I would really appreciate it! :)
@Smoothie Made of Fruits
The subject of the sentence is 世界 and ふいに見渡す modifies 世界
The word ふいに means unexpectedly but it has more meanings “suddenly, casually, unintentionally, happened to ~ etc.”
So you can choose your own words to translate but to get a general idea, it will be something like “the world I suddenly look around is beautifully quiet.”
So in this case, you wouldn’t even translate the くらい? Does it just mean “so” in this case, like “so beautifully quiet” and not “so beautiful that I was quiet”? How can you tell which way it is being used?
And, if you don’t mind, could you help me with these, too?
君が唄う その愛を
この手に広げて
(these are the lines after the other ones, by the way)
I’m confused about the space. I couldn’t find anything about that; I assumed it was just used to indicate that the 君が唄う was part of a different thought than the rest. So I thought it meant, “As you sing, I broaden that love with this hand.” But if the space didn’t mean it was a separate thought, then it could “You sing of that love.”
Basically, I’m asking: What is the significance of the space?
Sorry for all the questions, but I really need help and I can’t find anything about this on the internet!
Thank you so much. :D
@Smoothie Made of Fruits
You can just type 君が唄うその愛を but you often see that kind of space in lyrics or poems.
It gives a reader to enjoy the meaning of the words more. (They can read between the lines.)
With くらい, how could you tell that in that sentence, it meant “so beautifully quiet” and not “so beautiful that I/it was quiet?”
@Smoothie Made of Fruits
美しいくらいに is just an expression to describe something (which you usually don’t describe the word, 美しい in this case 静けさ) is beautiful.
So I would just translate is “beautifully”
And also, do you think the “その愛を” is the direct object for “君が唄う” before it or “この手に広げて” after it? And how can you tell which one?
Thanks!
@Smoothie Made of Fruit
Here is the structure
(君が唄う）その愛をこの手に広げる
君が唄う modifying その愛 The love you sing
The object of the verb 広げる is その愛
Okay, I understand now. Thank you! :D
彼は、私のお父さんと同じくらい（ぐらい）の背丈です。
I misunderstood this one. Without reading the translation and with my poor Japanese I thought it said “he is may father and the about the same height as me”.
@Mew34
He is my father and has about the same height as me
will be
彼は私のお父さん（or 父）で私と同じぐらいの背丈です。
Thanks.
@Mew
You’re welcome! :)
Have lesson on particles yet
＠ロドニー
I am sorry but I don’t quite get your comment. Is that a request to make a lesson on particles??
Yus particles are difficult for me.So i was asking if you have a lesson on particles yet. If not then yus please it is a request.
＠ロドニー
I see. I have tried to include the information on particles whenever I have a chance in many lessons but here is one lesson.
に and で
hi
i was wondering if kurai could be used to say ‘this school has about 800 students’ and if so how would that sentence look? im really struggling on where to sentence layout.
arigatou gozaimasu. :-D
@zaia
この学校には生徒が８００人位います。
You can also say ８００人程（ほど）います。
!JYANE! Hello, could you explain the meaning of GURAI in this sentence ? :)
Sono sora ippai no kamihikouki gurai ni natte.
Thank you in advance :)
Arigatou ! Yes, it is from a lyrics:
Ima, tada shiritai no eien ja nai
kono mama zutto mite itai kedo
sono sora ippai no kami hikouki kurai ni natte
hitotsu dake mitsukete
So, basically, the GURAI here marks the amount of the airplane he/she wants to become?
@Mina
OK,let me try again. I am still not sure what this lyrics means but
“gurai” there modifies “kami hikouki” (paper plane).
Becoming (like) a paper airplane (in the sky)
“Sora ippai no kamihikouki” could be wither the sky is filled with paper planes or a big paper airplane which covers the sky fully.
Maggie-sensei ohayou! Is this a correct sentence? どのくらいとおく東京がひろしまから？ How far is Tokyo from Hiroshima?
@Courtney
こんばんは、Courtney!
You should switch the word order.
東京は広島からどのぐらいとおい（ですか）？
Ohhhhh I see, thank you!
eto I feel much smarter now ww I didn’t know this expresion before^^
maggie sensei, could you explain the use of -tara verbs? like shitara, iretara…. Cause I see them once in a while but I don’t quite get when to use them and in what situations to use them @_@
Arigatou ^O^
@Aki
Hi Aki!! Genki? I’m glad to hear you “feel” smarter! :)
As for your request, I got the same request last December and I have been working on it. So it will be done hopefully soon.
I’ve been currently making 5 or 6 lessons simultaneously.
待っててね〜！
haai meccha genki yo ^O^
ah okie patience is a virtue ne :3 tsugino ressun no tanoshimi ~~~
I was supposed to be doing my homework when I read this lesson… Ano shukudai o suru kurai nara nihongo o benkyou shimasu hou ga mashi (??)
I m SO in love with Japanese !!!
・:*:・:┣¨キ(*ﾟДﾟ*)┣¨キ:・:*:・
haha ;)
@Aki
Hope you have finished your homework.
Good! You made a sentence.
Ano shukudai o suru kurai nara nihongo o benkyou shimasu hou ga mashi
→Almost!!!! shimasu hou ga →shita hou ga
あの宿題をするくらいなら”Maggie先生のサイトで”日本語を勉強した方がまし。(^○^)
こんな有用なレッソンを作ったのはマギー先生ぐらいだよ！
「Aぐらいなら・・・B方がまし」のパターンを使ってみる・・・
日本語の授業に行くぐらいならマギー先生のサイトから勉強した方がまし。
@デイヴィッド
わ〜David嬉しい例文ありがとう！！