So, some and really

Bunpro
#1

During the course of figuring out how to say stuff in Japanese from my (British) English, I’ve come to realise I use these words/phrases A LOT. But I’m not really (!) sure how to translate them.

I use ‘so’ as an exaggerator;

  • Thanks for teaching me so many new words.
  • There were so many people there!
  • That was so delicious!

I played around with using ~あまり with this meaning, but it’s normally corrected to something else.

I use ‘some’ to mean a bit of and also a collection:

  • Some people like Coke, some people like pepsi.
  • Do you want some more cheese?

I try with なんにか but it doesn’t seem right sometimes, is it more for the 2nd sentence.

Again I think I use ‘really’ as an exaggertor.

  • I really like a cup of tea first thing in the morning.
  • I really want to say the right thing.
  • Do you really like gherkins?

And yet I don’t use 本当に for some reason, maybe I’m not sure why.

I’m probably thinking about literally translating again, aren’t I.
That’s so like me, I really need to get some more expressions!

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#2

I wonder if for the first “really” example めっちゃ would be good. 本当に should be fine but I feel like it carries more of a “truth” meaning, which fits the two other examples better.

For “would you like some cheese” I would say チーズでもいかがですか, with でも being what you’re looking for here.

For the first “so” example, こんなたくさん should work well, for the other two めっちゃ would be much better. Although in the second example そんなたくさん could work too, not sure though.

That’s all that comes to my mind at the moment.

You might also get some inspirations in this thread:

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#3

I started chucking a few めっちゃ’s around and, struggles to remember, did someone say its either regional or feminine… I certainly remember being told to use めっちゃくちゃ at some point - I guess this is the risk of copying what you come across without 100% understanding it.

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#5

めっちゃ might be more feminine but I’ve seen it used by both sexes. I personally have never seen めちゃくちゃ used with positive meaning. It might have one, I wouldn’t know.

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#6

めちゃ、めちゃくちゃ、めっちゃ are used by both sexes and can be used for positive or negative things. むちゃ、むちゃくちゃ、むっちゃ are 関西弁 (arguably めちゃ is as well but everyone says it everywhere, as far as I know, and むちゃ is generally leaking out as well like a lot of 関西弁).

I say and use all of these terms every day and I hear them being used by all people of all ages in basically all contexts (敬語 excluded) daily as well.

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#7

There is always:

https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/number-も

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#8

@jrmr50

To add to what @Sumerechny has said,

めちゃ would sound natural here, and so would マジで if you want to get extra casual. まじでwould also work for the sentences that use ‘really’, but めちゃ can only be used for the first example.

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#9

that’s a good shout actually, thanks

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