Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 4: 6/21

(あま)りに

So much...that, (Way) too...

Adverbial あまり

Structure Legend

Structure

あまり(1) + (2)+ Adjective
あまり(1) + (2) + Adverb
あまり(1) + + Noun

(1) あんまり
(2) にも

Details

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    Standard

  • 使用域

    一般

About あまりに

Being the adverbial form of (あま)る 'excess', あまりに is a grammar structure that is used to convey an 'excessive' amount of something that caused a certain result. あまりに will almost always be used in sentences expressing some sort of surprise/shock about the degree of (A). Often, あまりに is translated simple as 'so much (A) that (B)', or 'way too much (A)'.
  • 今日(きょう)仕事(しごと)あまりに(らく)()ぎて仕事(しごと)した(かん)ない
    Work today was so easy that I don't feel like I worked at all.
  • 今朝(けさ)会社(かいしゃ)あまりに(おそ)()いたため、先輩(せんぱい)(おこ)られた。
    I got to the company so late that I was yelled at by my senpai.
  • 彼女(かのじょ)あまりの恐怖(きょうふ)(こえ)あげて(さけ)んだ。
    She was so scared that she screamed out loud.
In the last example, we can see that あまり will be followed by の when linked to a noun. Occasionally, にも will be used instead of . This just emphasizes the 'excess' of (A) further.
  • 友達(ともだち)(はな)しがあまりにもつまらなくて途中(とちゅう)からほとんど()いてなかった
    My friend's story was so boring that I stopped paying attention halfway.
As the literal meaning of あまりに is quite close to 'excessively', it may be easier to remember this translation, rather than 'so much (A) that (B)'. Usually, 'it is excessively (A), so (B)' will cover most possible nuances.
Caution
あんまり is a colloquial variant of あまり that is often said, but should be avoided in any form of formal/official writing.
  • トマトはあんまり()じゃない。
    I don't like tomatoes too much.
  • この映画(えいが)はあんまりおもしろくなかったね。
    This movie wasn't excessively interesting.

Examples

  • あまりに(はや)()いてしまった。

    I unfortunately arrived too early.

  • そのケーキあまりに(おお)きすぎて、()べられない。

    That cake is too big to eat.

  • (かれ)らはあまりに(いそが)そうにみえたから、(こえ)をかけるのをやめた。

    They looked far too busy, so I decided to not talk to them.

  • あまりに(さむ)すぎて、(かえ)ってきてしまった。

    It was too cold, so I turned back.

  • あまりに失礼(しつれい)じゃないか。いつも(たす)けてあげているのに。

    Aren't you being way too rude? To think that I am always helping you out.

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あまりに – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (7 in total)

  • mrnoone

    mrnoone

    About 3 years ago

    @Haruka

    Hey, and long time no see

    That’s right, it might mean both “also” or “even”, where the even meaning is just an extension of “also”. Generally, that happens with negative clauses though, the even.

    The translation will be replaced with " Also using phrases that are too polite feels awkward.".

    But why there is “when” in this sentence?
    It comes from this interpretation of の (as you know, の can refer to various other nouns):

    あまりに丁寧な言葉遣いという「時」も、違和感がある。

    By the way,
    there is another use of というのも、 when it is followed by a clause ending with “から”, “ため” or “のだ”.

    In that case, it means the same thing as なぜなら, emphasizing the cause. In that case, というのも refers to the previous sente...

  • Haruka

    Haruka

    About 3 years ago

    Thank you, @mrnoone! I understand it better now. Also thanks for explaining the other use of というのも, it would have completely confused me.

  • notasas

    notasas

    About 5 months ago

    Of these rules, which one applies in the following sentence?
    その言い訳はあまりにも幼稚すぎる。

    My dictionary lists 幼稚 as a noun so shouldn’t the last rule apply? Or is -すぎる acting as -する here or something?

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