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なるほど！
Naru hodo!
I see!
To the point that ほど
ほど is a noun that means 'so much that', to the point that', 'up to the point that' and generally it is an expression that has something to do with the limit, quantity or the extension of something.
It is used in different situations that take on various meanings depending on context. Some of these expressions are:
ば〜ほど
ほど〜ない
にもほどがある
ほど follows a verb, adjective or a noun without any variation.
VERB + ほど
い-ADJ + ほど
な-ADJ + ほど
NOUN + ほど
In its basic form, ほど indicates that we have reached the limit or extend of something. It is translated roughly as 'so much that' or 'to such an extend that'.
It cannot be used if the limit has exceeded.
Are you that weak?
それほどよわいのか？
Sore hodo yowai no ka?
Unlike くらい, ほど can be used in negative sentences.
This isn't something that makes me angry.
おこるほどのことではない。
Okoru hodo no koto de wa nai.
In its literal sense, it means that this isn't a situation so much that it is necessary to get angry for.
This isn't an injury to worry about.
しんぱいするほどのけがではない。
Shinpai suru hodo no kega de wa nai.
Indication of an extreme limit
ほど can be used to show an extreme limit. In these cases, it will roughly be translated as 'there is nothing that' or 'there is no one like'.
There is no more beautiful country than Switzerland.
スイスほどうつくしいくにはありません。
Suisu hodo utsukushii kuni wa arimasen.
Indication of a quantity
In this sense, ほど is synonymous with くらい.
About nine years
きゅうねんかんほど
Kyuu nen kan hodo
ほど〜ない not like that
When ほど is paired with a verb conjugated in the negative, its meaning changes into 'not so... that', 'it is not so much that'.
It isn't as cold today as yesterday.
きょうはきのうほどさむくない。
Kyou wa kinou hodo samukunai.
You don't study as much as me.
あなたはわたしほどべんきょうしない。
Anata wa watashi hodo benkyou shinai.
にもほどがある there is a limit to how much
This is an expression used when the maximum limit is reached.
There is a limit to how stupid it can be.
ばかばかしいにもほどがある。
Bakabakashii ni mo hodo ga aru.
There is another expression, ほどほど, which will be used for a moderate reach or a moderate quantity was reached.
Other examples:
The exam was not as difficult as I thought.
しけんは、おもったほどむずかしくなかった。
Shiken wa, omotta hodo muzukashikunakatta.
It is not that cold outside.
そとはそれほどさむくない。
Soto wa sore hodo samukunai.
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Given that わけだ
わけだ is an expression used that means 'meaning', 'conclusion', 'cause' or 'circumstance'.
It is similar to the expressions ことになる and はずだ.
VERB + わけだ
い-ADJ + わけだ
な-ADJ + わけだ
NOUN + の + わけだ
わけ itself means 'reason', 'cause', 'meaning'. The term という can be added before わけ.
What does it mean?
なにというわけですか？
Nani to iu wake desu ka?
わけ draws a conclusion following a logical reasoning based on facts that have been observed.
It snowed yesterday. That's why it is cold.
きのうゆきがふっていた。さむいわけだ。
Kinou yuki ga futteita. Samui wake da.
わけ is considered to be subjective, even if the conclusion is based on logical facts.
He puts more efforts than others. That is why he succeeds.
ひといちばいどりょくしている。かれはせいこうするわけだ。
Hito ichibai doryoku shiteiru. Kare wa seikou suru wake da.
It assumes a conclusion based on observed facts. We are not sure of the conclusion but we assume based on what we could see.
Another use of わけ is when something has been clarified. It shows that something became clear after understanding it. In this sense, it will mean 'now I understand why' 'now it is clear' or 'it makes sense'.
わけ is also used in situations where the idea is always considered valid or obvious. It shows how what has been indicated has logically been demonstrated before, thus it should always be valid to others.
That's being a man.
それはおとこらしいわけだ。
Sore wa otoko rashii wake da.
わけ can also be used to mean 'in other words'. In this case, it clarifies an idea by showing an analogy to something that is obvious.
わけがない strong denial
In this form, it means 'it is impossible that' or 'there is no reason why'. This expression conveys a strong negation, 'there is no reasonable conclusion', so this is not possible.
There is no reason why you shouldn't take your medicine.
くすりのめないわけがない。
Kusuri nomenai wake ga nai.
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Due to せいで
We saw the expression によって which also meant 'due to'. せいで means the same, but will have a blaming connotation to it.
せい means 'fault', so せいで will be use in negative situations where something or someone is to be blamed for something.
VERB + せいで
い-ADJ + せいで
な-ADJ + せいで
NOUN + の + せいで
We lost because of me. (This is my fault that we lost)
わたしのせいでまけた。
Watashi no sei de maketa.
Another way to translate this sentence would be 'we lost by my fault'.
We lost because of me.
わたしのせいでまけてしまった。
Watashi no sei de makete shimatta.
In the first sentence, we understand it as it is my fault we lost, probably due to the fact that I am not good at this game or something of the sort.
In the second example, しまった will convey the fact that this loss was unexpected. Maybe I did something during the game that made my team lose.
Because of that nuance, せいで will often be seen with しまう.
This is your fault!
おまえのせいだ！
Omae no sei da!
せい alone is a noun meaning 'fault'. Coupled with the particle で, it means 'because' or 'due to' as a negative connotation. It also acts as a connector between two clauses.
Due to the rain, the soccer practise was cancelled.
あめのせいで、サッカーのれんしゅうはキャンセルされました。
Ame no sei de, sakkaa no renshuu wa kyanseru saremashita.
In this case, we could have used ので with the verb 'to rain'.
Because it is raining, the soccer practise was cancelled.
あめがふっているので、サッカーのれんしゅうはキャンセルされました。
But with using あめのせいで, you blame the rain for the soccer practise cancellation. In this case, the sentence will be uttered in a negative way (you are angry or disappointed that soccer practise was cancelled because of the rain) and will not be uttered as only a statement (the soccer practise was cancelled because of the rain).
The positive counterpart to せいで is おかげで, which can be translated to 'thanks to'.
Thanks to you, we were able to survive.
あなたのおかげで、わたしたちはいきのびることができますし。
Anata no okage de, watashi tachi wa ikinobiru koto ga dekimasu shi.
かげ means 'shadow' and お is a honorific that we place before words to give them more importance. This expression literally means 'in the shadow of', as if someone was watching over you, meaning 'thanks to this'.
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Despite くせに
くせに means 'despite', 'although', 'even if', and it has the same connotation as のに.
The word くせ means 'habit' or 'tendency' in a more negative way. So, we will use くせに more often to criticise the actions of others.
VERB + くせに
い-ADJ + くせに
な-ADJ + くせに
NOUN + の + くせに
Despite the fact you said you would go to bed early, you are still awake?
さっきねるっていってたくせにまだおきてるの？
Sakki neru tte itteta kuseni mada okiteru no?
Here, we are making a criticism that the person said they would go to bed earlier, but they didn't. The situation is different from what they have promised.
It is also sometimes used to ridicule.
Despite being a shinigami, he doesn't look so smart.
しにがみのくせにあたまがよくなさそう。
Shinigami no kuseni atama ga yokunasasou.
Even though he is weak, he pretends to be strong in what he says.
よわいくせにつよがりをいう。
Yowai kuseni tsuyogari o iu.
Since くせに is used for criticism, we cannot use it to state facts. As such, this sentence will be incorrect.
Even though it is December, it is warm.
X じゅうにがつくせにあたたかい。
X Juunigatsu kuseni atatakai.
It also sounds really strange.
Since December is only a month, there is no point of criticising December for being warm. In this case, のに will be more appropriate.
O じゅうにがつのにあたたかい。
O Juunigatsu noni atatakai.
In a derogatory and more critical context, it is possible to see another derived form of くせに, くせして. に and して can sometimes be interchangeable. して turns out to be more emphatic, and in this case, derogatory.
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How どう
It seems like we are back to our lesson about question words. We saw どうやって as meaning 'how', as 'how do you do that?' やって comes from the verb やる, which means 'to do', so when coupled with どう, you are asking 'how' as in the method or the way to achieve something.
どう alone means 'how' in a more broad way.
How is the studying of Japanese? (How is it going?)
にほんごのべんきょうはどうですか？
Nihongo no benkyou wa dou desu ka?
Here, I am not asking you how you study Japanese, but how your studies are going.
どう will often be used in sentences where you ask someone 'how about that?'
How about we read this book together?
いっしょにこのほんをよむのはどう？
Issho ni kono hon o yomu no wa dou?
How about this?
どうですか？
Dou desu ka?
Like any other question words, どう mostly appears before です or at the end of the question.
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You have completed lesson 30!
レッシュン30ができた！
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