Japanese grammar is an essential part of learning the Japanese language.

It is the set of rules that govern the way words are combined to form sentences in the Japanese language. Japanese grammar is known for its complex system of particles, which are small words that are added to the end of nouns or verbs to indicate the grammatical function of the word in the sentence. 

In this post, We will talk about JLPT N4 Grammar: あまり～ない

JLPT N4 Grammar: あまり～ない (amari~nai) Meaning

“あまり～ない” is a negative expression that means “not very ~”. You can use it to indicate that something is not very common or not very extreme. 

あまり良くない (not very good)

あまり高くない (not very expensive)

あまり大きくない (not very big)

To use it, you can simply add it after the adjective or adverb you want to negate.

この本はあまり面白くないです (This book is not very interesting)

このレストランはあまり美味しくないです (This restaurant is not very tasty)

You can also use it with verbs. In this case, you need to conjugate the verb to the negative form and add “あまり～ない” after it. For example:

私はあまり寝ない (I don’t sleep very much)

彼はあまり話さない (He doesn’t talk very much)

Form

あまり い-adjective + いくない

な-adjective + なじゃない

Verb (ない form)

Here are ten sentences using “あまり～ない”:

1. この映画はあまり面白くないです (This movie is not very interesting)
2. 私はあまり辛いものが好きじゃありません (I don’t like very spicy things)
3. この部屋はあまり広くないです (This room is not very big)
4. 彼女はあまりよく働かない (She doesn’t work very hard)
5. この服はあまり高くないです (This clothing is not very expensive)
6. 私たちはあまり運動しない (We don’t exercise very much)
7. このレストランはあまり有名じゃありません (This restaurant is not very famous)
8. この試験はあまり難しくなかった (This exam was not very difficult)
9. 私はあまり日本語を話せない (I can’t speak Japanese very well)
10. この薬はあまり効き目がない (This medicine is not very effective)