[JLPT grammar] Difference between すこし and あまり

Today I am going to share the homework correction quoted from my JLPT N3 course!
The student’s sentence is not correct. Can you find the mistake?

 

[Student’s sentence]

野菜はすこし好きじゃありません。

*やさいはすこしすきじゃありません。

 



 

[My correction]

野菜はすこし好きじゃありません。
→野菜はあまり好きじゃありません。
I don’t like vegetables very much.

あまり is typically used with negative sentences. If you want to say “I don’t like…”, you should use あまり.
Meanwhile, すこし is often used with affirmative sentences, so using すこし in a negative sentence may not be appropriate in this sentence.

e.g.
私(わたし)はあまり日本語(にほんご)が話(はな)せません。
I can’t speak Japanese very well.

私はすこし日本語が話せます。
I can speak a little Japanese.

今日(きょう)はあまり忙(いそが)しくないです。
I’m not very busy today.

今日はすこし忙しいです。
I’m a little bit busy today.

 

 

I hope my explanation helps you. 😊

 

In the JLPT course, all lessons come with homework, if you submit your homework, I will reply with corrections.
I can break down the Japanese grammar and point out mistakes, explaining the structure and nuances of Japanese in an easy-to-understand way.
You can also ask me any questions as much as you want. I will teach you until you get it!

 

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