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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