過Comparing and measuring
Too much, easy, hard
Three endings that attach to a verb stem to say it's too much, easy to do, or hard to do.
The set
All three attach to a verb's ます stem
| Ending | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ~すぎる | too much | 食べすぎる |
| ~やすい | easy to, prone to | 食べやすい |
| ~にくい | hard to, not prone to | 食べにくい |
~すぎる
Too, or too much
I drank too much yesterday.
This bag is too expensive.
い adjective: drop い.
This town is too quiet.
な adjective: use the stem.
These clothes are too big for me.
に は shows who it's too much for.
I have far too little money.
ない becomes なさ. いい becomes よ: よすぎる.
Easy, and hard
~やすい and ~にくい
Both then act like い adjectives: 書きやすかった, 書きにくくない.
This knife cuts easily.
This knife doesn't cut well.
Not only ease
They can also mean likely or unlikely
This glass breaks easily.
This glass doesn't break easily.
Particles
The particle drops away
With やすい and にくい, the thing being used often becomes the topic and its particle disappears. 友だちと話します can become 友だちは話しやすいです, “My friend is easy to talk to.” Use が to focus on it: この町が住みやすいです, “It's this town that's easy to live in.”
Check yourself
What does the speaker mean?
Your turn
やすい or にくい?
Say it yourself
Shopping for shoes
You're at a shoe store. The first pair is too small and hard to walk in. The second is easy to walk in, but too expensive.
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