JLPT N5Everyday

すぎるtoo; too much

すぎる says there is more of something than is good: too expensive, too quiet, ate too much. It joins onto a verb or an adjective to make one word.

昨日きのうはケーキを食たべすぎた。

I ate too much cake yesterday.

このかばんは重おもすぎます。

This bag is too heavy.

Verb

食たべます → 食たべすぎる

すぎる goes where ます was.

い-adjective

高たかい → 高たかすぎる

The い comes off. いい becomes よすぎる, and ない becomes なさすぎる.

な-adjective

静しずか → 静しずかすぎる

Nothing is added or taken off.

Its own forms

すぎます・すぎた・すぎて・すぎない

It changes like 食たべる. It is also written 過すぎる.

"Too", not "very"

とても only says how much. すぎる says it is more than you want, need or can manage.

このかばんはとても高たかいです。

This bag is very expensive.

A fact. You might still buy it.

このかばんは高たかすぎます。

This bag is too expensive.

More than you will pay.

このシャツは私わたしには大おおきすぎる。

This shirt is too big for me.

"For me" is 私わたしには.

Not said: このかばんは高たかいすぎます。

(This bag is too expensive.)

Doing too much

English adds separate words: ate too much, bought too many. Japanese puts すぎる on the verb itself.

週しゅう末まつに寝ねすぎました。

I slept too much over the weekend.

昨日きのうは飲のみすぎました。

I drank too much yesterday.

言いいすぎました。すみません。

I went too far. I'm sorry.

言いいすぎる, to say too much, is how you take back something harsh.

Not said: 昨日きのうはケーキを食たべるすぎた。

(I ate too much cake yesterday.)

To tell someone not to overdo it, すぎる takes ないで.

飲のみすぎないでくださいね。

Please don't drink too much.

Too many, too few

English says "there are too many people". Japanese says the noun first, then 多おおすぎる: "the people are too many". Too few is 少すくなすぎる.

人ひとが多おおすぎます。

There are too many people.

質しつ問もんが多おおすぎて、時じ間かんが足たりなかった。

There were too many questions, so there was not enough time.

Too hot to drink

For "too … to …", Japanese says "too hot, so I can't drink it": すぎて, then what can't be done.

このスープは熱あつすぎて、まだ飲のめません。

This soup is too hot to drink yet.

この箱はこは重おもすぎて、一人ひとりでは運はこべません。

This box is too heavy for one person to carry.

すぎ, the short form

Without る it is a noun. With だ or です it is how people tell each other they are overdoing something. Among friends it also stands alone: 高たかすぎ！

それは考かんがえすぎですよ。

You're overthinking it.

最さい近きん、働はたらきすぎじゃない？

Haven't you been working too much lately?

When it is praise

すぎる is usually a complaint or a regret. In casual talk it is also strong praise, like "too cute" in English.

この犬いぬ、かわいすぎる！

This dog is too cute!

このアプリは便べん利りすぎて、もう手て放ばなせない。

This app is so convenient that I cannot do without it now.

Close neighbours

あまり～ないN5

English "not too heavy" usually just means "not very heavy". That is あまり with a negative, not すぎない.

このかばんはあまり重おもくありません。

This bag isn't very heavy.

Check yourself

1"This coffee is too sweet."

このコーヒーは（　　）。

Choose an answer to see why.

2"I bought too many clothes yesterday."

昨日きのう、服ふくを（　　）。

Choose an answer to see why.

3A friend says this to you. What do they mean?

心しん配ぱいしすぎだよ。

Choose an answer to see why.

More detail

Too little

時じ間かんがなさすぎる is "there is far too little time". For doing too little, people mostly say there isn't enough: 運うん動どうが足たりない, "I don't get enough exercise".

過すぎる alone

By itself 過すぎる is a verb, "to pass". After a clock time, すぎ means "a little after": 十じゅう時じすぎ is just past ten.

More sentences

この部屋へやは静しずかすぎて、少すこし落おち着つかない。

This room is too quiet, so I feel a little uneasy.

この町まちは夜よるになると静しずかすぎます。

This town becomes too quiet at night.

うれしすぎて、何なにも言いえなかった。

I was so happy that I couldn't say a thing.