gradually
little by little
step by step
Structure
- だんだん + (と) + Phrase
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Hello, I’m just learning this new grammar but I don’t understand why sometime you have to add the と and sometime not. Is there a rule ?
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Hey 
だんだん is an onomatopoeia, basically a word created to imitate a sound. と is our favorite quotation particle.
Basically, it’s like quoted sound.
Adverbs like that are very common in Japanese, and we call them と adverbs.
Usually, if the sound is repeated, like in だんだん case, you can skip と if you want.
If the sound appears only once (it is not duplicated) then you have to use と.
That’s basically it (though very simplified).
I hope it helps, cheers
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Oooh I didn’t thought it was the quotation と does it also mean you can drop it in casual speech but have to use it in formal or written cases ?
Thank you !
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Hey
Theoretically, だんだんと would be more correct, but dropping と is extremely common, even in writing.
In addition to that, 徐々に（じょじょに）is a word that fits writing a bit more.
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In this example sentence there are a three points I am unsure about.
友達が話している：「だんだんあのやつの事が嫌いなってきていて、今は避けるようにしている。」
Chat between friends: “I gradually came to dislike that guy, and now I do my best to avoid him.”
My interpretation of these three…
あのやつの事
That guy’s… (actions?; events?, I am unsure what this is meant to convey)嫌いなってきていて
Have come to dislike(ing?) (does the いる here signify a continuing state?)避けるようにしてる。
Doing things similar to avoiding? (I… I… can’t even… help me!)
I am a little shaky on what these parts are trying to convey here. Any insight would be oh so much appreciated! (´・ω・｀)
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Hey
Very good questions, I will do my best to answer them 
someone/something + のこと means more or less “about”/“things about” someone/something, it is very common phrasing, though in most cases literal translation doesn’t work well. You can hear it very often in anime with 好き、like in 「彼のこと、大好き」
I love (things about) him very much.
This is “to do one’s best so that/to make sure/to try to” ようにする.
Translated here as “I do my best to avoid him”.
嫌いなってきて いて
Have come to dislike( ing? ) (does the いる here signify a continuing state?)
This is a super hard question, to be honest, it would still work with なってきて by itself and feel as natural, since it already means has been -ing with だんだん. Basically, in this case, it should imply ongoing action.
I hope it helps, cheers!
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Like you wouldn’t believe! Thank you, thank you so much!
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インタビューした学生：「折り紙は初めは難しくてできないと思ったけど、だんだん慣れてくると折れるようになりました。」
Interviewed student: “Speaking of origami, at first I thought it was hard and I wouldn’t be able to do it, but I gradually got accustomed and reached a point where I could do it.”
What is the と after 慣れてくる expressing in this statement?
@deltacat3 This と is the conditional, “if・when” と from this lesson. It would probably be better to think of it as “once” in this sentence to make the phrase “once I got accustomed,” but it sounds a bit strange to say “once I gradually got accustomed” in English. I hope this helps!
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I’m sorry, but why are the examples suddenly so hard?
I’ve finished the Bunpro N5 Grammar deck and started N4 expecting that examples will だんだん難しくなっていく、but they’re just rocketed from
私は日本語を勉強しています
to
友達が話している：「だんだんとあのやつの事が嫌いになってきていて、今は避けるようにしている。」
Or is it just me…?