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Questions tagged [adverbs]

副詞. Words that typically modify 用言 (words that inflect and function as predicators, such as verbs and adjectives). However, 副詞 also modify other constituents, including other adverbs, nouns (under limited circumstances), and even entire sentences.

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Why do sentences with いわんや often end with をや?

I was reading about the (apparently) archaic-sounding 況んや{いわんや}, which is used like まして, but getting to the examples sentences I see many ending in をや/においてをや: 私は貧乏でなかなか人並みの生活もできない, いわんや貯蓄をやだ. The ...
whatyouexpect's user avatar
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Creating a verb from an い adjective by dropping い and replacing with くする?

I know that you can make an adverb from an い adjective by replacing い with く. 早い - fast 早く - quickly One of the things I ran into while studying was "Please don't make it too short" by using ...
Stripes The Tiger's user avatar
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1 answer
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How/Why is 皆 (みんな) used as an adverb?

What I understand about an "adverb" is that it modifies a verb. E.g. in 遅く走ります, 遅く is an adverb because it modifies the verb 走ります. It "describes" how I run (slowly). Now back to 皆.....
Pie Faced's user avatar
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Grammar analysis of adverb inbetween relative clause and modified noun

What I mean with the title are these types of relative clauses: 寝る少し前 雨の止むまさにその切れ間 少し and まさに seem to be modifying 前 and 切れ間, respectively, which at first glance seems unusual for adverbs. How can ...
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Understanding さしずめ

From Dungeon Meshi episode 16, マルシル responds to an explanation by ライオス of a dungeon creature that breaks down leftover remains of monsters and live and repair the dungeon walls after damage has been ...
whatyouexpect's user avatar
2 votes
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336 views

Usage of わりと by itself?

A: そんなに見えない? B: わりと... The character B took off his glasses and A asks him "You can't see that much?" after B says he can't see past his feet. B answers "わりと..." how is "...
LionGate's user avatar
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How to interpret どこまでも

I'm having some trouble understanding the adverb's meaning in the lyrics for the Japanese version of Melodies of Life from FFIX: 消えゆく運命でも 君が生きている限り いのちはつづく 永遠に その力の限りどこまでも わたしが死のうとも 君が生きている限り ...
A.T.A.'s user avatar
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Pitch accent of -り adverbs

This is a followup to the question For which parts of speech does a 平板/heiban–vs–尾高/odaka pitch accent contrast (word-final H(-H) vs H(-L)) exist? asked by Lover of Structure . I'm wondering if there ...
solute's user avatar
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Can 近く modify an adjective to mean "almost adjective"?

図書館からの道筋をもう一度たどりなおして、二人は一時間近く暗い通路をさまよった。 They re-traced the route from the library one more time and wandered the (almost/nearby) dark corridors for an hour. I don't know if 近く means nearby (the ...
user3856370's user avatar
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When is 明日(あした) clearly 平板型?

(This post only concerns 標準語.) I always thought that 明日{あした} was simply 尾高型, but when I look it up in the dictionary (大辞林), it says that it is 尾高型 as a noun and 平板型 adverbially. This is a bit ...
dekinai's user avatar
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Using 否応なし(に) as "Whether (we) like it or not"

I could not find many thorough explanations of the phrase いやおうなしに. It seems to be used like ざるを得ない, in examples from explanations like: 社会的な圧力により、いやおうなしに環境保護活動に参加することになった。 ->個人が社会からの期待や圧力を感じ、...
whatyouexpect's user avatar
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Comparing みたいに and みたいな感じで

To preface, I understand that not every みたいな感じで is used adverbially like みたいに, because sometimes that で is the te-form: 素人みたいな感じで申し訳ないですが Sorry to sound like an amateur. (I sound like an amateur, (and ...
whatyouexpect's user avatar
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Saying "really is"

In English, there's a difference between saying "That pumpkin really is a big fruit" vs "That pumpkin is a really big fruit". The former emphasizes "is", or the belief of ...
Cerin's user avatar
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めったに without a negative?

The context is the following: The characters are watching TV and they give an interview to a guy that is over 40 and never had a lover. One of the characters watching exclaims this. As far I'm aware ...
Kawase_K's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
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Is there a reason behind the structure of all the adverbs like しっかり、ぐっすり、はっきり?

I am not sure how to formulate my question but while learning Japanese vocabulary I could not help but notice that many adverbs seem to have a similar structure. For example, しっかり、ぐっすり、はっきり but there ...
UpQwark's user avatar
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Why should I use 多く instead of 多い in the sentence: 留学生はアジア人が多く

I just started learning Japanese for a few months, and I saw a sentence recently: 留学生はアジア人が多く、その他は3割です。 I feel strange that the sentence uses 多く instead of 多い. 多く is an adverb, 多い is an adjective. The ...
Searene's user avatar
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What does 曰く mean?

I understand the sentence is akin to "Ah, the sword that the glasses old man used to cut... that' s not a normal sword. It's possessed/hunted" However how is 曰く used? As far context goes, it'...
Kawase_K's user avatar
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What is this adverb + そう construction

学校の中で子どもたちが元気に楽しそうに成長する This sentence can apparently be translated as "children growing up happy and healthy in a school". What confuses me is the "元気に楽しそう" part, because I would ...
Kapol's user avatar
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Do adverbs necessarily modify the first verb after it? (part 2)

Do adverbs necessarily modify the first verb after it? My question is the same as another user's because I feel like I didn't understand. How can I know which verb/adjective is being modified? ex: ...
menta sugar's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
93 views

Past continous with adverbs of time

当時私は母が入れ物に入れた餌を自分で動物たちに与えた I would have expected the above sentence to use てい form (与えていた) as it seems like a repeated action in the past. The speaker is talking about their childhood chores, so I ...
Bronwyn Young's user avatar
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1 answer
112 views

What is the actual nuance of the verb に映る

この通路の先で行われてることを考えると楽しいとは言えないけど Which is about "If I think of what happens ahead of this passage, I can't say it's "fun"." To which then the other character replies おっしゃる通り むしろ ...
Kawase_K's user avatar
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2 answers
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What does なんてからっきし mean in this sentence?

からっきし means "quite; utterly; (not) at all; completely; wholly; entirely; totally; altogether​" however I'm not sure how it's being used here? The character gets asked what exactly he thinks ...
Kawase_K's user avatar
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How is the adverb さっそく acting in this sentence?

別に今日だって約束してたわけじゃないし さっそく感が恥ずかしすぎる In the second part, it seems like she's saying it like.. "the feeling of impatience is too embarrassing?" I'm too embarrassed of my impatience?" Edit: ...
LionGate's user avatar
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Understanding「さえ」and「いてくれる」in「お前が生きてさえいてくれたら」

I'm watching an episode with subtitle that goes: 「俺 ずっと お前が生きてさえいてくれたら と思ってた」 "I always thought, as long as you live on, (I'm ok)" I have three questions if the translation was correct. Is ...
dz902's user avatar
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1 answer
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What does 改めて exactly mean?

改めて すごい人だかり! The character came out of the building to meet a journalist groups and says this. Why is 改めて used here? "Looking at it again"?
LionGate's user avatar
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Does はやく give the sentence the nuance of a order?

はやく もう入れる。。。から The character is standing in front of a wardrobe with something in his hands and the other character tells him this. From context the only thing I can gather is "Hurry up and put ...
LionGate's user avatar
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How is どこぞの is being used in this sentence?

I understand どこぞ is "Someplace/somewhere" and a の adjective, but how it's actually modifying 力自慢?
Kawase_K's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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Trying to understand forms of “どうせ…だろう”

To my understanding, in a normal non-conditional clause “どうせ” has a function of saying that something makes the surrounding context irrelevant, similar to “anyway” in English. As in for instance “...
Zorf's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
247 views

What does this usage of 適当にしてて mean?

Going from context, she was showing them around and gets called by the director, so she tells him "I gotta go! Sorry! However I'm stumbled on this usage of 適当にしてて. From context I guess she's just ...
Kawase_K's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
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Why is ら attached to り ending adverbs?

First I saw it in a song called ヤミナベ, where it says なべがくるりくるりら回るよ, and I didn't think much of it, since I could only find crayons when I searched it up, then I saw it in a song called マグメル, where it ...
Star Peep's user avatar
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3 answers
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したく in 「戦いをしたくありません.」

In 戦いをしたくありません. [He] didn't want to start a war. is したく the adverbial form of したい? Literally speaking, does this sentence means something like "wanting to do a war"-ly doesn't exist. ...
George's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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I'm having trouble understanding the usage of 特に...もっとですね, and 15回以上は

From Sakura Tips podcast episode 615. パッキング, there is a transcript to the podcast. I'm having difficulty understanding due to my confusion regarding word/phrase ordering. Original transcript: ...
richizy's user avatar
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1 answer
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Saying "mostly" in Japanese: ほとんど or something else?

I've come across a problem repeatedly when I use Japanese, and that is the proper use of ほとんど. I've gathered that it means most in an opposite manner; e.g. ほとんどない to say mostly don't have and I want ...
Lugnut's user avatar
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1 answer
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Use adjective or adverb for clause + こと

As I understand it, when you make a clause and then put こと at the end of it everything is transformed into a noun (e.g. 食べましたこと is eaten thing.) If it's a noun, it should be modified by an adjective, ...
Trying_to_work's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
164 views

What meaning does もう add to this sentence?

これはもう運命としか… Something unusual that has already happened, unexpectedly, happens again. The character who says that is a girl who meets somebody who looks like a prince at a party and the next day she ...
Haragurodanshi's user avatar
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「一番背が高くなります。」 or 「背が一番高くなります。」?

To translate the sentence: "Who became the tallest?", which is more natural? 誰が一番背が高くなりましたか。or 誰が背が一番高くなりましたか。 On Busuu (language learning app), the correct option was the former (一番 ...
BeepBoop's user avatar
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2 answers
109 views

Can とき function adverbially?

In 道を渡るとき、車に気をつけてください Is there an implicit は being dropped after とき? Or is/can とき function adverbially (so that no particle need be after it, at least not necessarily)?
George's user avatar
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The meaning of 若く in this sentence

恵子は若く美しかった。やつれてはいたが、柔らかい、優しげな雰囲気のままだった。 I'm struggling to understand how 若く is being used. Is it used like an adverb for 美しかった?
LionGate's user avatar
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3 votes
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Why are 副助詞 called "adverbial" particles?

For some context, according to wikipedia, the following serve as examples of 副助詞: Adverbial particles (副助詞, fuku-joshi) ばかり, まで, だけ, ほど, くらい, など, なり, やら Question: Why are adverbial particles (副助詞) ...
George's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Are (Verb+べく) combos considered to be adverbial phrases?

In sentences that involve (Verb + べく) combinations, as in: 身近な人間は(なるべく)避けたほうがいいな… As for people close to me, (as much as possible) it's best to avoid them.. (勉強すべく)図書館に行った。 I went to the library (in ...
George's user avatar
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1 answer
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Understanding Obfuscated Song Lyrics in 夢うつつ - Dream

I have previously asked a question regarding what is being said in this song, but it did not follow guidelines since I was not asking anything specific. However, in consulting with my teacher on the ...
BigRigz's user avatar
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1 answer
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Meaning of 途方もなくみすばらしい小屋 [closed]

その岩のてっぺんに、途方もなくみすばらしい小屋がちょこんと乗っている A preposterous, splendid shed is perched on top of that rock. (my literal TL) Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. (...
user3856370's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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How to say “I played well”?

How would you say “I played well”? I wrote よく 遊びました , which is よい (good) in the adverb form and then 遊ぶ (to play) in polite past but the translation comes out as “I played a lot”. What am i doing ...
deny's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
133 views

Turning adjective+すぎる into adverbs

Suppose I want to say "He was taken from us too soon." Could I do this by using 早い->早すぎる->早すぎて and writing the sentence this way? 彼は、私達から、早すぎて奪われました。
SpikedHelmet's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Placement of the adverb せめて

I'm trying to form the sentence "Could you at least call me when you get there?", and I'm unsure whether to put せめて at the beginning like せめて着いたら、電話してくれない? or in between like 着いたら、...
Jet's user avatar
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Role of の and meaning in the sentence "その瞬間の自分の手に〇〇がにぎられている"

The complete sentence, although I don't think it is necessary, is the following: その瞬間の自分の手に、人類すべての運命を決定付けるような、重大なターニングポイントがにぎられているなんていうことは、分かるはずがないんた So, if the intended role of その瞬間 was to be "...
Gianni Trattore's user avatar
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0 answers
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Help with this Usage of an Adverb [duplicate]

I came across this sentence: 電話番号を新しく変えたので認証コードが届きません。 I believe it means "I changed my number to a new one, so I can't receive verification codes." My question is, how should I understand ...
charlemagne 's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
249 views

How to read そう in front of pronouns, nouns, and verbs?

I know そう definitions include "so, like that, such, and in such a way," and it can act demonstrative before verbs to describe whatever the verb is happening "like that." I've seen ...
A.T.A.'s user avatar
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-5 votes
2 answers
159 views

Is ながら an adverb? [closed]

Looking up into the dictionary I see that ながら is a particle, not familiar with that concept I just know that it connects to verbs and means "while" introducing a new event clause. But there ...
vdegenne's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
258 views

Using よく with negative verbs

Would the sentence 牛肉はよく食べません。/ I don't eat beef often. be: grammatically incorrect because よく is used only in affirmative sentences? grammatically correct, but unnatural (Using あまり would be ...
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