Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 1: 12/23

一応(いちおう) ②

more or less, for the time being, tentatively・roughly

Structure

一応 + Phrase

Details

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About 一応 ②

When used as an adverb, 一応(いちおう) can often carry the nuance of (A) not being perfect or ideal, but the minimum required in order to satisfy some requirement. This 'requirement' is frequently related to the time or amount of something. When used this way, 一応(いちおう) may be interpreted as 'more or less, (A)', 'for the time being, (A)', or 'tentatively (A)'.

This use of 一応(いちおう) is in contrast to the other common use of 一応(いちおう), which can be translated as 'just in case', or 'just to be sure'. In these cases, the speaker is usually indicating that (A) is being done in order to avoid or prevent (B). However, in both of its uses, it simply indicates that (A) is the minimum amount which is fulfilling some requirement.

Examples

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    転(ころ)んだ友達(ともだち)１に話(はな)しかける友達(ともだち)２：「大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)？」
    友達(ともだち)１：「一応(いちおう)。」

    Friend2 talks to Friend1 who has fallen: 'Are you ok?'
    Friend1: 'More or less.'

    就職(しゅうしょく)の面接(めんせつ)、面接官(めんせつかん)：「英語(えいご)ができますか？田中(たなか)さん。」
    田中(たなか)さん：「私(わたし)は日常的(にちじょうてき)な英会話(えいかいわ)ぐらいなら一応(いちおう)できますが、ビジネスで英語(えいご)を使(つか)うのは自信(じしん)がありません。」

    Job interview, the interviewer: 'Can you speak English, Mr. Tanaka?'
    Mr. Tanaka: 'I am more or less able to do day-to-day conversations, but I don't feel confident in using English in business.'

    警察官(けいさつかん)：「こんにちは、警察署(けいさつしょ)から来(き)ました。オーナーと話(はなし)をしたいです。」
    エリアスさん：「一応(いちおう)私(わたし)がオーナーのエリアスです。」

    Policeman: 'Hello, I have come from the police station. I would like to speak with the owner.'
    Elias: 'I am Elias, more or less the owner.'

    医者(いしゃ)、患者(かんじゃ)について：「ふう…一応(いちおう)、容態(ようたい)は安定化(あんていか)できました。」

    Doctor, about a patient: '*sighing* We were able to stabilize her condition, for the time being.'

    友達(ともだち)１：「田中(たなか)といえば、、、ちょっと驚(おどろ)いた。勉強(べんきょう)嫌(きら)いなのに、漢字(かんじ)が思(おも)ったより書(か)けるのね。」
    友達(ともだち)２：「まぁ、日本人(にほんじん)ならどんなに勉強(べんきょう)嫌(きら)いでも漢字(かんじ)は書(か)けるよね。一応(いちおう)は。」

    Friend1: 'Speaking of Tanaka, I was a bit surprised. Even though he hates studying, he can write kanji better than I thought!'
    Friend2: 'Well, no matter how much they hate studying, if they are Japanese they can write kanji. More or less.'

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一応 ② – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

  • s1212z

    s1212z

    For some of these “more or less” translations, how interchangeable is 一応 and だいたい? I’m not seeing anything exceptional except for a few phrases but BP is marking them wrong without ‘try again’ warnings. Seems 一応 is a bit more stand alone if preferred but I do see “more or less” + 'phrase’ on both entries.

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    Hey @s1212z !

    We apologize for the very late reply!

    How interchangeable is 一応 and だいたい? Not interchangeable at all. You could use them in place of each other, but you will be changing the nuance of the sentence greatly. 一応 has a nuance that makes the speaker seem not too confident, while だいたい does not have that nuance, and used just to state how something is ‘mostly complete’.

    For example:
    「もうコンピュータを直（）したの？」
    「一応（）ね。時間（）がかかったけど。」
    ‘Have you repaired the computer?’
    ‘More or less. It took a while though.’ (It took some time, but I think I was able to fix it. At least I think it might be fixed, I am not very confident about it)

    「もうコンピュータを直（）したの？」
    「だいたい（）ね。もう少し時間<...

  • s1212z

    s1212z

    Thank you @Fuga for explaining and the examples, makes sense!

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