[Common Mistakes] “すこし食べません” is incorrect—what word should we use with negatives?
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Today, I am going to share a homework correction from my Japanese Course!
The student’s sentence is not quite correct. Can you find the mistake?
[Student’s sentence]
おなかがいっぱいで、少し食べませんでした。
*おなかがいっぱいで、すこしたべませんでした。
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[My correction]
おなかがいっぱいで、少し食べませんでした。
→おなかがいっぱいで、
I was full and didn’t eat much.
In negative sentences, you should use あまり to say “not much.”
あまり is always used in negative sentences, while 少し is typically not used in a negative context.
Here are some more examples:
昨日(きのう)はあまり忙(いそが)しくなかったです。
I wasn’t very busy yesterday.
昨日は少し忙しかったです。
I was a little busy yesterday.
ビールはあまり飲(の)みませんでした。
I didn’t drink much beer.
ビールを少し飲みました。
I drank a little beer.
I hope my explanation helps you.😊
I interact like the above correction with my JLPT All-in-One Course student. (Today’s homework sentence is from the N5, beginner level. Not sure of your Japanese level? Then take a level test here.) I can explain in English or Japanese, depending on your level.
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