LEARN + JAPANESE / Note 121 JLPT N4
Too Much of It (すぎる)
すぎる attaches to a verb’s stem or an adjective’s stem, and means “too much,” pushing whatever it attaches to past a reasonable limit.
Saya drinks too much.
Saya talks too much on the phone.
In Real Life
飲む becomes 飲みすぎる, 話す becomes 話しすぎる, attaching to the same stem you already used for たい and はじめる. すぎる then conjugates like an ordinary る-verb from there, すぎます, すぎました, すぎない.
Yeah, I think that's a bit too flashy for my mother.
It costs money, so you'd better not spend too much.
In Real Life
い-adjectives drop the final い before すぎる, 派手 (a な-adjective) attaches directly with no change at all, and combined with the negative ない-form, すぎない方がいい becomes a natural way to warn against overdoing something.
Vocabulary
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| to try hard | |
| to think | |
| to worry | |
| to bring (a person) | |
| young | |
| heavy | |
| flashy, showy | |
| plain, subdued | |
| to get drunk | |
| overdoing it | |
| to overdo it, push too hard | |
| degree, extent | |
| moderate amount | |
| limit | |
| overeating | |
| overworking | |
| to smoke | |
| to be careful | |
| to hold back, refrain | |
| balance |