この暑さで祭りどころじゃないわ….
= Kono atsusa de matsuri dokoro janai wa…
= This is way too hot to go to the festival.
Hi everyone! 元気？= Genki? = How are you doing? It is getting hotter and hotter in Japan.
I was going to go to a festival but no way! I can’t go out in this heat.
Today I will teach you the expression
★ ~どころではない = dokoro dewa nai
★ ~ どころじゃない = dokoro janai) ( casual )
and other expression with どころ ( = dokoro)
Let’s take a look at the picture first.
この暑さで祭りどころじゃないわ….
= Kono atsusa de matsuri dokoro janai wa…
= This is way too hot to go to the festival.
Vocab :
*この = kono = this
*暑さ = atsusa = heat
*で = de = a particle to indicate the cause
*祭り = matsuri = a festival
*どころじゃない = dokoro janai = far from, it is not the time/situation to do something, out of the question
*わ = wa = female suffix to make one’s point
How to form
*verb plain form/ adjective / noun + どころではない ( = dokoro dewa nai) / (casual) どころじゃない ( = dokoro janai)
★When to use ~どころではない ( = dokoro dewa nai) / (casual) どころじゃない ( = dokoro janai)
1) When you are extremely preoccupied with something and there is no way/time to do something/ you can’t afford to do something.
There are something far more important to take care of rather than doing something./ Your current concerns are way more important than something.
Or when you are in situation where there is no way to do something.
Ex. 今、忙しくて旅行どころではない
= Ima isogashikute ryokou dokoro dewa nai.
= I am really busy now and there is no way to find a time to go traveling.
Ex. 明日、試験だから漫画を読んでいるどころではない。
= Ashita,shiken dakara manga wo yonde iru dokoro dewa nai.
= I’ve got exams tomorrow so I have absolutely no time to read a comic book./ It is not the time to read a comic book.
Ex.「カラオケに行かない？」
= 「Karaoke ni ikanai?」
= Do you want to go sing Karaoke?
「体調が悪くて、カラオケどころじゃないの。」
= Taichou ga warukute karaoke dokoro janai no.
= I have been under the weather and there is no way to go sing Karaoke.
Ex. せっかくハワイに行ったのに寒くて泳ぐどころではなかった。
= Sekkaku Hawai ni itta noni samukute oyogu dokoro dewa nakatta.
= I went to all the way to Hawaii but it was too cold to swim. (There was no way to swim in the cold weather.)
Ex. 仕事が大変で、恋愛どころではない。
= Shigoto ga taihen de renai dokoro dewa nai.
= I have to work so hard that there is no time for romance.
2) When you compare two things/ people where there is no comparison between them.
( A is far from B / far more ~ than B)
Ex. あの先生はすばらしい先生だ。マギー先生どころではない。
= Ano sensei wa subarashii sensei da. Maggie sensei dokoro de wanai.
= That teacher is great. He is nothing like Maggie Sensei.
Ex. あのホテルは新しくて豪華だ。ワンワンホテルどころではない。
= Ano hoteru wa atarashikute gouka da. Wanwan Hoteru dokoro dewa nai.
= That hotel is brand new and luxurious. It is far better than Wanwan Hotel.
3) When you point out something is understated and the fact is more extreme than that. The fact is much stronger from what is said.
“The word ~ is not enough. It is far from ~ “
Ex. あの店は高いどころじゃない。
= Ano mise wa takai dokoro janai.
= That restaurant (store/bar/shop) is way too expensive.
(That place is expensive is understated. It is beyond “expensive”)
Note : It is similar to なんてものではない ( = nante mono dewa nai) (more causal なんでもんじゃない = nante monjanai)
↓
Ex. あの店は高いなんてものではない
= Ano mise wa takai nante mono dewa nai.
or
Ex.あの店は高いなんてもんじゃない。
= Ano mise wa takai nante mon janai.
Ex. 彼女の日本語はうまいどころじゃない。
= Kanojo no nihongo wa umai dokoro janai.
= Her Japanese is way too good to be described just “good” . / Her Japanese is beyond “good”.
Ex. 「今日は暑いね。」
= Kyou wa atsui ne.
= It is hot today, isn’t it?
「暑いどころじゃないよ。」
= Atsui dokoro janaiyo.
= It is beyond hot. (The word “not” is not enough to describe this heat.)
Note :
If you want to emphasize more, you also say
～どころの騒ぎではない
= dokoro no sawagi dewa nai
(casual ～どころの騒ぎじゃない= dokoro no sawagi janai)
↓
Ex. 暑いどころの騒ぎではない
= Atsui dokoro no sawagi de wa nai.
★どころか ( = dokoroka) : not even ~ but ~ / let alone ~ / far from
Ex. 一万円どころか千円も持っていない。
= Ichiman en dokoro ka sen en mo motte inai.
= I don’t have 1,000 yen let alone 10,000 yen.
Ex. コンピューターを直すのに千円どころか１万円かかった。
= Konpyuutaa wo naosu noni sen-en dokoro ka ichiman-en kakatta.
= Far from costing 1,000 yen, it cost me 10,000 yen to fix the computer.
Ex. 日本語は書くことどころか話すことも出来ない。
= Nihongo wa kaku koto dokoro ka hanasu koto mo dekinai.
= I can’t speak Japanese let alone write it.
Ex. 彼女は料理ができないどころか卵さえ割れない。
= Kanojo wa ryouri ga dekinai dokoro ka tamago sae warenai.
= Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
Ex. 夫は手伝ってくれるどころか手伝って欲しいときにはどこかにでかけてしまう。
= Otto wa tetsudatte kureru dokoro ka tetsudatte hoshii toki niwa dokoka ni dekakete shimau.
= My husband is hardly helpful. Whenever I need his help he just disappears.
Ex. 彼は歌が上手いどころかプロの歌手にもなれるぐらいだ。
= Kare wa uta ga umai dokoro ka puro no kashu ni mo nareru guraida.
= He is not just good at singing. He could be professional singer!
Ex. 今年はボーナスどころか給料も減らされるみたいだ。
= Kotoshi wa bounasu dokoroka kyuuryou mo herasareru mitaida.
= I heard our salary will be cut so we can forget about getting bonuses this year.
Ex. 漢字が読めないどころかひらがなも読めません。
= Kanji ga yomenai dokoro ka hiragana mo yomemasen.
= Forget about reading kanji. I can’t even read hiragana.
Ex. 人手不足で契約社員どころかアルバイトも見つからない。
= Hitode busoku de keiyaku shain dokoro ka arubaito mo mitsukaranai.
= Due to a labor shortage, we can’t even find part-time workers let alone full-time employees.
4) それどころか ( = soredokoroka) on the contrary, in fact, rather, quite the contrary
You mention something and connect with それどころか(=soredokoroka) and then say something contrary (or even more extreme) fact/state.
Ex. 彼はケチなんかじゃないよ。それどころかこの間、お寿司をおごってくれたんだよ。
= Kare wa kechi nanka janai yo. Sore dokoro ka konoaida, osushi wo ogotte kuretan dayo.
= He is far from cheap. (On contrary) In fact, he even treats me to sushi.
マギー先生より = Maggie Sensei yori = From Maggie Sensei
今日は暑くて仕事どころじゃないからもうこの辺で終わります。
= Kyou wa atsukute shigoto dokoro janai kara mou kono hen de owarimasu.
= It is too hot to work today so I will wrap it up for now.
***
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I appreciate your support! サポートありがとう！
59 Comments
何度もコメントを乗せたけど自分のコメントが見えないんです。
見えますか？？これ？？？
おかしいですね。コメントが出ないみたいなのでここに元の文章と私の返事をポストし直しますね。
マギー先生、こんばんは、こんばんは＼(^o^)／
いつも役に立つレッスンを作ってくださりありがとうございます。
１つ質問させてください!
彼女は料理ができないどころか卵さえ割れない。
Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
どうして『料理ができるどころか』ではないの？
英語訳は being able to cook なのに？
なんか。。おかしい質問ですよねｗｗｗ
****
こんにちは ユキ （同じ質問が３つあったので２つは消しました。）
最初に質問したときは、承認されるまで自分の質問が見えないと思います。
「彼女は料理ができないどころか」の英語訳は “Far from” being able to cook なので Not just being able to cook という意味です。
原因がわかりました。
最初のコメントは、コメントのずっと下の方にあるDECEMBER 26, 2018 AT 7:29 AM の私のコメントに対しての返事として書いたみたいです。
サイトの右下のRecent comment からユキのコメントをクリックしてみてください。
コメント乗せたいけど。。見えますか。。これ？？？
自分のコメントを自分が見えないから。。どうかしら？？
Ano sensei wa subarashii sensei da. Maggie sensei dokoro de wanai.
I disagree. You are a great Japanese teacher, Maggie Sensei!
Ajay
Aww…you are the sweetest! 🐶 💕💕
Great post, Maggie-sensei! :)
Thank you, Jenny! 💕
Hi Maggie !
Thank you always for your valuable study notes !
By the way, you gave me the motivation to try doing also my own site for sharing my knowledge !
May I have your opinion or feedback about it ^^? This is named “JLPTMatome” (https://jlptmatome.com)
Hi Louis
Great site! Keep it up!! がんばりましょう！！ 😊
Hi Maggie Sensei!! Thanks for your valuable lessons. I was analyzing DOKOROKA and came with a question from the examples you gave:
彼女は料理ができないどころか卵さえ割れない。
Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
In this example, it’s quite clear to me she can’t cook, from the negative form 料理ができない. However, in the next example it’s not so clear:
夫は手伝ってくれるどころか手伝って欲しいときにはどこかにでかけてしまう
My husband is hardly helpful. Whenever I need his help he just disappears
In this sentence, 手伝ってくれるどころか is positive, so I would assume that he actually helps her, but in the translation it says he doesn’t. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate “Tetsudattekurenai”? Why do we have in both sentences a negative meaning but only in the first one we have a negative verb on the first part of the sentence?
Thanks a lot for your support!!
Hi Alex
Good question!
夫は手伝ってくれるどころか手伝って欲しいときにはどこかにでかけてしまう
手伝ってくれる is an affirmative form but the meaning is negative. He didn’t help his wife.
It actually means,
夫は手伝ってくれるどころか手伝って欲しいときには（手伝わないで）でかけてしまう。
He goes out without helping me.
Why do you use くて?
せっかくハワイに行ったのに寒くて泳ぐどころではなかった
今、忙しくて旅行どころではない
I thought it means A1+a1/a2.
But there are くて+verb and くて+noun.
It looks like modifying a noun but actually not.
寒くて modifies 泳ぐどころではない
忙しくて modifies 旅行どころではない
て indicates the cause/reason and following sentence shows the (possible) consequences/result.
Because it’s cold (reason) → there is no way to swim (consequence)
Because I am busy(reason) →there is no way that I can travel.(consequence)
こんにちは！
Could you help me with 3 sentences below? I’m not sure if どころか and どころではない is interchangeable in these 3 sentences. Thanks!
“こんな下手なチームでは、何度試合をしても一度も勝てないどころか、㍙も入れられないだろう。” （dokoroka -> dokorodehanaku: onaji?)
“咳が出るので風邪かなと思っていたが、ただの風邪どころではなく、肺炎だった。”
（dokorodehanaku -> dokoroka: onaji?)
“休日なのでちょっとは道がこむだろうと思っていたが、ちょっとどころではなかった。” （dokorodehanakatta -> dokoroka: onaji?)
よろしくお願いします。
こんにちは、Trang!
“こんな下手なチームでは、何度試合をしても一度も勝てないどころか、㍙も入れられないだろう。”
（dokoroka -> dokorodehanaku: onaji?) → No, you can’t say どころではなく
“咳が出るので風邪かなと思っていたが、ただの風邪どころではなく、肺炎だった。”
（dokorodehanaku -> dokoroka: onaji?)
Yes, You can say ただの風邪どころか肺炎だった。
“休日なのでちょっとは道がこむだろうと思っていたが、ちょっとどころではなかった。”
（dokorodehanakatta -> dokoroka: onaji?)
No, you can’t use どころか
When you use どころか, you have to explain how it was.
Ex.ちょっとどころかすごく混んでいた・車が渋滞で全く動かなかった。
先生、どうしてー目の例で「どころか」は「どころではなく」に変換できませんですか。
勝てる is a potential form so if you say 勝てないどころではなく, it sounds like “Not being able to lose”
So, it will work if it’s just 勝たない？ Is there a general rule to distinguish between when one can be used and the other cannot?
Thanks!
On second thought I guess it is possible to say 勝てないどころではなく but the listener might be confused.
There are a couple of possibilities but you have to change the sentence a little.
勝つどころか一点も入れられないだろう。
勝つどころではなく一点も入れられないだろう。”
Talking about the past
勝てなかったどころではなく一点も入れられなかった。
“勝てる is a potential form so if you say 勝てないどころではなく, it sounds like “Not being able to lose”
Sorry for troubling you again. I still don’t quite get it, why would it sound like “not being able to lose”? Why the confusion here?
I don’t know how far I can explain here but
1)勝てないどころか一点も入れられないだろう。
(勝てないどころではなく）
Not jut we can’t win (we will lose). We won’t be able to score even one point.
(Unfavorable result A + unfavorable resultB )
Responding to the idea, “We may lose this game.” /“We can’t win this game.”
2) 勝てる(or 勝つ）どころか一点も入れられないだろう。
(勝てないどころではなく）
We won’t be able to score one point let alone winning the game.
(desirable result C + unfavorable result D )
Responding to the idea, “We can win!” / “ We want to win” / “Are we going to win?”
So you can say 勝てないどころか, some listener might think why you use unfavorable result in C)
I kinda get it now! Just want to clarify one point though. So you mean either どころか or どころではなく will be a little confusing when used in this context right? (because originally my question was about why dokorodehanaku can’t be used, and the examples you gave me was of dokoroka, so I want to clarify again!)
Thank you so much!
Sorry. I forgot to include ではなく (I just added it in my previous email)
わかりました！ありがとうございました、先生 <3
どういたしまして、Trang! 💕
マギー先生 こんにちは、こんばんはo((*^▽^*))o
いつも役に立つレッスンを作ってくださりありがとうございます。
１つ質問させてください。
彼女は料理ができないどころか、卵さえ割れない。
Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
どうして 「料理ができるどころか」ではないの？
英語訳は being able to cook なのに？
なんか。。おかしい質問ですよね ｗｗｗ
こんにちは ユキ （同じ質問が３つあったので２つは消しました。）
最初に質問したときは、承認されるまで自分の質問が見えないと思います。
「彼女は料理ができないどころか」の英語訳は “Far from” being able to cook なので Not just being able to cook という意味です。
Maggie sensei,
I have question about this usage of どころではない
Ex. あの先生はすばらしい先生だ。マギー先生どころではない。
= That teacher is great. He is nothing like Maggie Sensei.
Is the hint of dokorodehanai is “He is so great,Maggie is not great” Or
He is so great but Maggie is greater?
But to me, Maggie is greater :))
Hello!
That means the teacher is much better than me and there is no comparison. lol
マギー先生、こんばんは、こんばんは＼(^o^)／
いつも役に立つレッスンを作ってくださりありがとうございます。
１つ質問させてください!
彼女は料理ができないどころか卵さえ割れない。
Far from being able to cook, she can’t even crack an egg.
どうして『料理ができるどころか』ではないの？
英語訳は being able to cook なのに？
なんか。。おかしい質問ですよねｗｗｗ
こんにちは、マギー先生！このレッスンはありがとう！
英語と母語ではこの言い回しをよく使うと思うから習ってとっても嬉しい。
例：すごく忙しかったから日本語能力試験を受けるどころじゃなかった。だから日本語のレベルがわからない。
@chaos_prinz
こんにちは！「どころ」の使い方、上手ですよ。
また使ってみてね。
Kono ressun ga saiko dokoro janai.
@kar
Arigatou, kar!
Hello Miss Maggie and Yukari.
I’ve been into this nonsense adventure for five years now (with two continuous years without attending formal classes).
I must thank you both from the bottom of my heart because I’ve learned more with you than with anyone else (and it’s been only 30 minutes since I visited your site for the first time!)
Thank you for making look the study of the Japanese language as something as normal as breathing
I miss those days when I’ve had just started! The illusions I had about starting this life proyect.
Your explanations are clear and concise and I appreciate much that. I feel like I’ve lose so much time and now I hope to be able to go forward without hesitating anymore.
I wish to be as good as you Maggie 先生, someday
So that I can if possible, help fellow Japanese learners to be better regardless of their level of English (I’m a native Spanish speaker)
本当にありがとうございます！
これからもずっと、応援します。 !heartsippai!
@ブルーナイト
Sorry for the late reply. I’m on vacation now.Thank you for your nice message!
When we make a lesson, we think of all of you hoping you enjoy learning Japanese. So we are VERY happy to hear you get to learn something from our lessons. We hope you keep studying Japanese with fun! これからもまたこのサイトに来てくださいね。
In http://tangorin.com/examples/%E3%81%A9%E3%81%93%E3%82%8D
They translate 彼は馬鹿どころではない as “He is no fool”.
Why is that? It should mean “he is very stupid”, is it not?
Second question) Can I instead write
わんわんホテルは新しくなくて豪華じゃな。あのホテルはどころではない。
Third question) If someone say 「わんわんホテルどころではない」, without any context, can I deduce anything from that sentence, like わんわんホテル is inferior or superior than the one speaker has in mind?
よろしくおねがいします (I wanted to say “thank you in advance”, is there any phrase more specific?)
(わんわん is a dog’s bark, right? It would be weird to stay at “arf arf hotel”. >_<
＠Pete
1) That’s the tricky part of ~どころではない
どころではない could be 1) Far from ~ (negating ) “far from stupid! 2) beyond ~ (beyond stupid. Not just stupid. Really stupid) You always have to read what comes after that sentence (Ex. すごく頭がいい・Ex. 本当にばかだ or example stroesi how smart/stupid he is.）and figure out the context.
2) Hmm I think you meant 新しくないし豪華ではない・or 豪華でもない。(or colloquial 豪華じゃない）
And are you comparing わんわんホテル with “that hotel(あのホテル）？ If so, あのホテルどころではない
3) this questions is related to my answer to your first question. You really have to know the context. It may sound confusing but usually we can tell in conversation because both speakers and listeners know what they are talking about.
* Yes, よろしくお願いします is Thank you in advance.
* Yes, わんわん means Arf Arf. I am a dog so there is nothing weird to stay at Arf Arf Hotel. :)
As always your lessons do not disappoint! Courtney has leveled up! :uparrow: :up!!: マギーせんせい、ありがとうございました！！！
@Courtney
Courtney、レベルアップした？よかった〜！！ !JYANE!
no errors were found :zzzz:
translate to japanese [no errors were found , thug life]
arigatou
@zoheb
no errors were found = 間違いは、ありませんでした。= machigai wa arimsen deshita.
Really? Amazing!! lol
Thank you, zoheb!!!
あいにく一つ見つけ出しました。絶望したー。 A “tokoro” where there should be a “dokoro”. !damedame!
I wanted my first comment to be positive, but here I go again…
What I wanted to say was: you’re amazing. Best Japanese learning site on the web, hands down. I’ve been reading a gazillion books and sites, but thanks to you, I’m finally getting somewhere. I’m from Germany btw., and you have no idea how boring German textbooks on japanese are. And you won’t find any spoken Japanese in it, you can easily go up the JLPT ladder without understanding a word in an anime. Thanks to you, thats changing now.
Anyhow, since I’m German, I always want to know every detail. So, I hope you don’t mind my questions on minor things. Like this:
日本語は書くことどころか話すことも出来ない。 vs. 漢字が読めないどころかひらがなも読めません。
In the first sentence, you use a verb transformed into a noun, in the second a negative verb. I always wonder whats the difference in meaning, when and why do you use こと instead of for example 日本語は書けないどころか話せません。
Also, I’m confused with the wordorder. If I wantet to say: “Thats not a chicken, thats not even a bird!” Would that be これは鳥どころか鶏じゃありません。 or the other way around. And, if I wanted to say the positive version: “Thats not just a bird, thats a chicken!”, would the order be the same? Because the order changes in English and German, wich makes it confusing and I too tired to find the solution in your examples. It’s 5am here but I can’t just stop in the middle of a lesson, can I.!sleepy!
And thirdly, I noticed that you omit the “する” in what I would think are suru-verbs. Would it also be correct if you added a “する” like this:
今、忙しくて旅行(する)どころではない。?
よろしくお願いします!
＠Zetsuboumanadeshi
Hello! Zetsuboumanadeshi!
Thank you for spotting the typo. I fixed it! だから、絶望しないで〜〜！！
So happy to read your nice message. ありがとう！
OK, let me see your questions.
日本語は書くことどころか話すことも出来ない。 vs. 漢字が読めないどころかひらがなも読めません。
OK, as you noticed, there are two ways of saying “can do ~ / to be able to do~”
Verb+ことができる
Verb +れる／られる／える etc.
To be able to write = 書ける or 書くことができる
to be able to read = 読める or 読むことができる
They mean the same.
**
Word order:
“Thats not a chicken, thats not even a bird!”
→それはにわとりどころか鳥ではありません。
Positive version
“Thats not just a bird, thats a chicken!”,
それは鳥どころかにわとりです。
(But it may look hard to understand because readers don’t think “chicken” is something good.”
It will be easier to understand if you add ただの(= just)
それはただの鳥どころか「にわとり」です。
or without using どころ
それはただの鳥ではなく「にわとり」です。
Hope you get to sleep well tonight.
＊＊
You can say 旅行するどころではない but I’d say 旅行どころではない is more common.
Google Search result 旅行するどころではない hits just 8 while 旅行どころではない hits 7410 sites.
OK, let me see your questions.
日本語は書くことどころか話すことも出来ない。 vs. 漢字が読めないどころかひらがなも読めません。
OK, as you noticed, there are two ways of saying “can do ~ / to be able to do~”
Verb+ことができる
Verb +れる／られる／える etc.
To be able to write = 書ける or 書くことができる
to be able to read = 読める or 読むことができる
They mean the same.
**
Word order:
“Thats not a chicken, thats not even a bird!” Would that be これは鳥どころか鶏じゃありません。
ありがとうございました、今やよっぽど理解しますよ。寝ぼけなければ物事ははっかりするね。ちなみに、間違いがもう一つあります。一人ぼっちにされたローマ字のnakuがありますけどかなのは見当たりません。
@Zetsuboumanadeshi
一人ぼっちにされたローマ字のnakuがありますけどかなのは見当たりません。
→？？？どの文章ですか？
見つけました。タイプミスです。
人手不足で契約社員どころかアルバイトも見つからない。
= Hitode busoku de keiyaku shain dokoro ka !naku! arubaito mo mitsukaranai.
@天人
Thank you!! I can always count on you! :)
初めまして。私は日本人ですが、英語を勉強する私にとってもすごく分かりやすく解説されています！
このブログは日本語を勉強する外国人に限らず、英語を勉強する日本人にもとても役立つと思いますよ！！
これからも拝見させて頂きます。更新頑張って下さいね！！
Hi Magggie sense. Hajimemashite.
I’m Japanese and I study English.
It’s very easy to understand even for me, who’s Japanese. This blog will help not only the people who are learning Japanese but also Japanese who are learning English.
I always look forward to your uploading! Thank you!!!
もし英語で間違っている部分があったら訂正してください…泣
@hitomi
こんにちは、Hitomiさん！Welcome to Maggiesensei.com!
日本人の方も英語の勉強に来てくれていると聞き本当に嬉しいです。 boucingheart!
ここに来てくれる皆さんは本当に学習熱心な方々ばかりだからきっとHitomiさんの英語のお手伝いもしてくれると思いますよ。いつでもまた遊びに来て下さいね。
Hello hitomi!
I took the liberty of making a couple of corrections to your sentences, I hope it helps.
It’s very easy to understand even for me, who’s Japanese.
This one doesn’t sound that natural, even if it is almost correct(the correct would be “even for me, who am Japanese”)
The best option would be: It’s very easy to understand even for me, a Japanese(person).
I always look forward to your uploading! Thank you!!!
This just needs a small adjustment: “I always look forward to your uploads!”
Your English already sounds pretty great! 頑張って!
＠reid
ありがとう、reid, on behalf of Hitomi. boucingheart!
Thank you!! !happyface!
Thanks for the lesson! I have never heard of this expression before, but I understand it now. It is just a bit confusing because it uses the negative form, so it sounds like it means the exact opposite of what it means.
For example: あの店は高いどころじゃない。 here you say the store is so expensive that it is beyond expensive, but at fist I had to read it a few more times to understand it completely, because to me it sounded like the sentence means the store is not expensive at all.
Thinking about that created a doubt in my mind. How do I say the opposite of どころじゃない。?
Using the same sentence as an example, how do I say the store is really cheap? Could I use あの店は安いどころじゃない。? And is there a way to change the meaning and say that the store is far from expensive but meaning that the store is cheap?
Example:
Q:Is this store expensive?
A: No, this store is far from expensive. (meaning that the store is really cheap)
@reid
Hi reid,
I see. Because it says ~ない, you automatically think this sentence is a negative sentence.
If that store is not expensive, you say
あの店は高くない。 = That store is not expensive.
あの店は全く（全然）高くない。= That store is not expensive at all.
あの店は高いどころじゃない= That store is beyond expensive. → Really expensive.
Yes, you want to describe a really cheap store you can say
あの店は安いどころじゃない。
That store is REALLY cheap. (Just saying “cheap” is not good enough)
Thanks!
Sensei: itsumo omoshirokute totemo yakunitatsu lesson wo tsukutte itadaite doumo arigotougozaimasu!! Sensei ha “ichiou” nikansuru lesson wo shimashitaka. Watashiha “ichiou” toiutango yoku kikimasuga tsukaikataha yoku wakarimasen…
Dehakorekara mo yoroshikuonegai shimasu !heart3! !sushimaguro!
＠Joanne
Hi Joanne,
Hai, ichiou no lesson, ichiou arimasu.
Click here.