Japanese from zero · N1 Lesson 23
The numbers
〜はおろか ・ 〜すら ・ 〜だに ・ 〜に至っては ・ 〜といったところだ
In this lesson, you will learn to say that a big thing is out of the question when even a small one is not true with 〜はおろか, to mark an extreme case with 〜すら and 〜ですら, to say nobody even imagined something with 〜だに, to single out the worst case with 〜に至っては, and to give a modest, rough figure with 〜といったところだ. It is early February, and Lisa has added up the first month's sales of the bento.
By the end you will be able to say
利益はおろか、売上が 費用にも 届いて いません。Forget profit: sales haven't even reached our costs.
一番 売れる 店ですら、一日 三十個です。Even the best-selling store sells thirty a day.
こんな 結果は、想像だに しなかった。I never even imagined a result like this.
どの 店も 苦しい。ポートランド店に至っては、一日 五個です。Every store is struggling. As for the Portland store, it's five a day.
駅まで 歩いて 十分といったところです。It's about ten minutes' walk to the station, at most.
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜はおろか — let alone; never mind — Xはおろか、Yも 〜ない says not even the smaller thing Y is true, so the bigger thing X is out of the question.
- 〜すら / 〜ですら — even — Noun + すら or ですら marks the extreme case: if even X is so, everything else must be too. It usually goes with a negative.
- 〜だに — not even; just to (think of it) — だに is an old, written 'even' heard in a few phrases: 想像だに しない (never even imagine), 夢にだに 思わない, and 考えるだに (just thinking of it).
- 〜に至っては — as for (the most extreme case) — Noun + に至っては singles out the case that goes furthest, usually the worst, after a general picture.
- 〜といったところだ — about; at most — A figure + といったところだ (or というところだ) gives a rough number and says it is not much.