So… that: 〜あまり
Verb (dictionary／た) / Adj-な な / N の + あまり（に）
N の／な-adj な／Verb + あまり: an emotion or state pushed to excess causes an abnormal reaction. あまりの N に: “so much… that”. Rather written tone.
In short
〜あまり says that a feeling or state pushed to excess caused an abnormal or involuntary reaction: “so… that”, “overcome with”. It's used mainly with emotions (心配, 喜び, 驚き, 緊張). It's a rather written construction.
- 緊張のあまり、声が出なかった。きんちょうのあまり、こえがでなかった。I was so nervous that no sound came out.
- 心配のあまり、母は夜も眠れなかった。しんぱいのあまり、はははよるもねむれなかった。My mother was so worried she couldn't sleep at night.
- 子どものことを思うあまり、厳しくしすぎてしまった。こどものことをおもうあまり、きびしくしすぎてしまった。In my anxiety to do the best for my child, I was too strict.
The basics
あまり is “the surplus, the overflow”. 〜のあまり presents a feeling that overflows and makes you lose control: you can't speak any more, you cry, you overdo things. So the second part describes an unusual, often involuntary reaction.
Typical nouns are emotions or states: 心配, 喜び, うれしさ, 悲しみ, 驚き, 緊張, 怒り, 忙しさ.
I had such stage fright that no sound came out.
- noun
- particle
- grammatical form
- verb
- 喜びのあまり、彼女は泣き出した。よろこびのあまり、かのじょはなきだした。She burst into tears, overwhelmed with joy.
How to form it
Emotion noun + の, な-adjective + な, verb in the dictionary form or the past. The final に is optional. あまりの + noun + に is another very common construction.
| Base | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | N のあまり（に） | 心配のあまり |
| な-adj | 〜なあまり | まじめなあまり |
| Verb | 〜る／〜た + あまり | 思うあまり、急いだあまり |
| Noun from adjective | 〜さのあまり | うれしさのあまり |
| Set phrase | あまりの N に | あまりの寒さに |
- まじめなあまり、彼は冗談が通じない。まじめなあまり、かれはじょうだんがつうじない。He's so serious that he doesn't get jokes.
- あまりの寒さに、手が震えた。あまりのさむさに、てがふるえた。It was so cold that my hands were shaking.
あまり, すぎて, あまり〜ない
すぎて (N4) states a simple excess, often physical and neutral: 食べすぎて、おなかが痛い. あまり stresses an emotion that makes you lose it: you don't say “食べるあまり、おなかが痛い”.
Watch out for the adverb あまり〜ない (N5): “not very”. And for あまりに（も）: “far too” (あまりにも高い). Only 〜のあまり / 〜あまり placed after a word expresses the cause.
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| N のあまり | from an excess of (cause) | 心配のあまり眠れない |
| 〜すぎて | too much, simple excess | 食べすぎて苦しい |
| あまり〜ない | not very | あまりおいしくない |
| あまりに（も） | far too | あまりにも高い |
- 食べすぎて、おなかが痛い。たべすぎて、おなかがいたい。I've eaten too much and my stomach hurts. (すぎて)
- この店はあまりおいしくない。このみせはあまりおいしくない。This restaurant isn't very good. (あまり〜ない)
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 〜のあまり (cause: “so… that”) and あまり〜ない (“not very”).
- Using it with a neutral physical cause (歩くあまり、足が痛い): for a simple excess, it's すぎて.
- Putting an intention in the second part: あまり describes an involuntary reaction.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N2 point is on the Meitetsu Inuyama Line (History and traditions) of the Nagoya lines.