JLPT N5 grammar · Existence & Location

よく/だいたい/たくさん/少すこし/あまり/ぜんぜん: meaning, usage and examples

よく/だいたい/たくさん/少すこし/あまり/ぜんぜん means: Adverbs of degree/quantity (often/mostly/a lot/a little/not much/not at all).

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How to form it

Degree adverb placed before the verb or adjective it modifies

Examples

  1. 私わたしはよく図書館としょかんへ行いきます。

    I often go to the library.

  2. 水みずをたくさん飲のみます。

    I drink a lot of water.

  3. 私わたしはあまりテレビを見みません。

    I don’t watch TV much.

  4. 日本語にほんごが少すこし分わかります。

    I understand a little Japanese.

  5. 肉にくはぜんぜん食たべません。

    I don’t eat meat at all.

When to use it

These adverbs calibrate how often or how much. よく (often/well), だいたい (mostly), たくさん (a lot), 少すこし (a little), あまり + neg (not much), ぜんぜん + neg (not at all).

Nuance

あまり and ぜんぜん must pair with negative verb forms. Using them with positives is ungrammatical in standard speech.

Compare

ちょっと (a little) is more casual than 少すこし. とても (very) outranks よく for intensity of adjectives.

Tip: ぜんぜん + positive is becoming common colloquially ('ぜんぜんいい' = totally fine), but on the JLPT use ぜんぜん + negative.

More in Existence & Location

  • あります/います: there is..., have... (あります for inanimate objects, います for animate objects)
  • [Place] に/で: (location particles) に (marks existence), で (marks action)

Frequently asked questions

What does よく mean?

Adverbs of degree/quantity (often/mostly/a lot/a little/not much/not at all). Example: 私わたしはよく図書館としょかんへ行いきます。 (I often go to the library.)

How do you form よく?

Degree adverb placed before the verb or adjective it modifies. ぜんぜん + positive is becoming common colloquially ('ぜんぜんいい' = totally fine), but on the JLPT use ぜんぜん + negative.