Lesson 89: 三十回も・一歩ずつ・五分おきに・いつでも

N4 · Lesson 89 · 25 min — "Wow, that many!", "each / at a time", and "every other ...", plus でも after nouns and question words: "even ..." and "any-"

Last lesson you found the tree in the photo. This lesson teaches three small words that go right after a number: も, ずつ and おきに. You will also learn でも, which goes after nouns and question words. Let's read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Stress a big number: 三十回さんじゅっかいも 見みました (I looked 30 times!)
• Say "each / at a time" and "every other ...": 一歩いっぽずつ (one step at a time), 五分ごふんおきに (every five minutes)
• Use でも for "even ..." and "any-": いつでも (anytime)

One step at a time, to match the photo

Last lesson you found the tree across from くまや. Now Rin has to match the angle of the photo! (写真しゃしん = photo)

も, ずつ and おきに all stick right after the number: 三十回さんじゅっかいも (as many as 30 times), 一歩いっぽずつ (one step at a time), 五分ごふんおきに (every five minutes). The photo was taken inside くまや... Why did Mr. Kuma stop his ladle?

Words for this lesson: under the cherry tree, and numbers

• 写真しゃしん (shashin): photo
• 桜さくら (sakura): cherry blossom
• 一歩いっぽ (ippo): one step
• 下さがる (sagaru): step back, move back; (temperature, price) go down
• 撮とる (toru): take (a photo)
• 同おなじ (onaji): same
• 団子だんご (dango): dango (sweet rice dumplings on a stick)
• 子こども (kodomo): child
• お茶ちゃ (ocha): tea
• 薬くすり (kusuri): medicine
• 配くばる (kubaru): hand out, distribute
• プリント (purinto): handout, printout
• 一日いちにち (ichinichi): one day
• 一週間いっしゅうかん (isshūkan): one week (length of time)
• メートル (mētoru): meter
• 覚おぼえる (oboeru): remember, memorize
• 冷蔵庫れいぞうこ (reizōko): refrigerator
• 卵たまご (tamago): egg

Grammar 1 / 4: Wow, so many!

Number + も = "as many as ...!" (the speaker feels it is a lot). 一 + counter + も + negative = none at all.

• How to make it: number + も: Put も right after the number: 三十回さんじゅっかいも, 十本じゅっぽんも, 一時間いちじかんも. The particles を and が after a noun stay where they are: 写真しゃしんを 三十回さんじゅっかいも 見みました.
• The feeling: "That's a lot!": Without も, the same number is just a fact: 三十回さんじゅっかい 見みました (I looked 30 times). With も, you add surprise, like "as many as" or "a full ...": 三十回さんじゅっかいも 見みました (I looked as many as 30 times!).
• 一 + counter + も + negative: 一回いっかいも, 一ひとつも and 一本いっぽんも followed by a negative mean "not even one": 冷蔵庫れいぞうこに 卵たまごが 一ひとつも ありません (There isn't a single egg in the fridge).
• Don't mix it up with も meaning "also": Noun + も = also: わたしも 行いきます (I'll go too). Number + も = as many as. Just check what comes before も: a noun or a number.

• この 写真しゃしんを 三十回さんじゅっかいも 見みました。 — I looked at this photo 30 times.
• バスを 一時間いちじかんも 待まちました。 — I waited a whole hour for the bus.
• ねこ先生せんせいは 団子だんごを 十本じゅっぽんも 食たべました。 — Neko-sensei ate ten whole dango sticks!
• 駅えきから 学校がっこうまで 四十分よんじゅっぷんも 歩あるきました。 — It took as long as 40 minutes to walk from the station to school.
• 京都きょうとに 一回いっかいも 行いった ことが ありません。 — I have never been to Kyoto, not even once.
• 冷蔵庫れいぞうこに 卵たまごが 一ひとつも ありません。 — There isn't a single egg in the fridge.

Grammar 2 / 4: Each / at a time

Number + ずつ = "each" (everyone gets the same amount) or "at a time" (bit by bit).

• How to make it: number + ずつ: Attach ずつ right after the number: 一歩いっぽずつ, 二本にほんずつ, 一人ひとりずつ. In this lesson's sentences, no に or で follows ずつ. Just continue with the rest of the sentence: 一歩いっぽずつ 後うしろへ 下さがって ください.
• Meaning 1: "each" gets that much: 一人ひとり 二本にほんずつ = two sticks per person (for two people, that's four). Without ずつ, 二本にほん is just two sticks in total.
• Meaning 2: that much "at a time": 一歩いっぽずつ = one step at a time. 一人ひとりずつ 入はいって ください = please come in one person at a time. 一いちページずつ 読よみます = I read one page at a time.
• 少すこしずつ = little by little: It doesn't have to be an exact number: 日本語にほんごが 少すこしずつ 上手じょうずに なりました (My Japanese has gotten better little by little).

• 一歩いっぽずつ 後うしろへ 下さがって ください。 — Please step back one step at a time.
• 団子だんごを 二本にほんずつ ください。 — Two sticks of dango for each of us, please.
• 先生せんせいは 学生がくせいに プリントを 一枚いちまいずつ 配くばりました。 — The teacher gave each student one handout.
• 一人ひとりずつ 入はいって ください。 — Please come in one at a time.
• 毎日まいにち 一いちページずつ 読よみます。 — I read one page a day.
• 日本語にほんごが 少すこしずつ 上手じょうずに なりました。 — My Japanese has improved little by little.

Grammar 3 / 4: Every ...

Minutes / hours / distance + おきに = once every ... (五分ごふんおき = every five minutes). Days / weeks + おき = skip one in between (一日いちにちおき = every other day: Mon, Wed, Fri).

• How to make it: time / distance + おきに: Attach おきに after the number, then add the verb: 五分ごふんおきに 来きます, 十じゅうメートルおきに あります.
• Minutes / hours / distance + おき = once every ...: With minutes, hours or meters, think "once every ...": 五分ごふんおき = once every five minutes (9:00, 9:05, 9:10...). 二時間にじかんおき = once every two hours. 十じゅうメートルおき = one every ten meters.
• Days / weeks + おき = skip one in between: When you count days or weeks, おき means one is skipped: 一日いちにちおき = run on Monday, rest on Tuesday, run on Wednesday... It does not mean "every day". 一週間いっしゅうかんおき = skip one week, so once every two weeks (week 1, week 3...).
• Distance works too: 十じゅうメートルおきに 桜さくらの 木きが あります = There is a cherry tree every ten meters.

• バスは 五分ごふんおきに 来きます。 — A bus comes every five minutes.
• 一日いちにちおきに 走はしります。 — I run every other day.
• 二時間にじかんおきに 薬くすりを 飲のんで ください。 — Please take the medicine every two hours.
• 十じゅうメートルおきに 桜さくらの 木きが あります。 — There is a cherry tree every ten meters.
• リンは 五分ごふんおきに 写真しゃしんを 見みて います。 — Rin looks at the photo every five minutes.
• 一週間いっしゅうかんおきに おじいちゃんと 電話でんわで 話はなします。 — I talk to Grandpa on the phone every two weeks.

Grammar 4 / 4: でも: even / or so / any-

Noun + でも = "even ...". Question word + でも = "any- / no matter ..." (with a positive ending). In an invitation, お茶ちゃでも = "tea or something".

• Noun + でも = even ...: Give the most unlikely example: 子こどもでも わかります (Even a child can understand), 日本人にほんじんでも 読よめない (Even Japanese people can't read it).
• Noun + でも + invitation = "... or something": It makes a suggestion sound relaxed and not pushy: お茶ちゃでも 飲のみませんか (Would you like some tea or something?). It doesn't have to be only tea.
• Question word + でも = any- / no matter ...: 何なんでも (anything), だれでも (anyone), どこでも (anywhere), いつでも (anytime). The ending is positive. For "not anything", use 何なにも + negative, which you already know.
• Replace が・を with でも (not the でも that starts a sentence): 子こどもが → 子こどもでも, お茶ちゃを → お茶ちゃでも. (This lesson only practices swapping が・を for でも.) At the start of a sentence, "でも、～" means "but". The でも in this lesson comes after a noun.

• この 本ほんは 子こどもでも 読よめます。 — Even a child can understand this book.
• 日本人にほんじんでも 読よめない 漢字かんじが あります。 — Some kanji can't be read even by Japanese people.
• お茶ちゃでも 飲のみませんか。 — Would you like some tea or something?
• 何なんでも 聞きいて ください。 — You can ask me anything.
• いつでも 来きて ください。 — You're welcome to come anytime.
• どこでも いいですよ。 — Anywhere is fine.