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Where do you place frequency adverbs in a sentence? I've recently started to teach myself Japanese. In the chapter that I'm working on right now there's a part about frequency adverbs. Examples are: あまり = not much ぜんぜん (全然) = not at all よく = often; much In my textbook sentences are written like this; 私はときどき喫茶店に行きます。・ "I sometimes go to a coffee shop." So always before the direct object of a sentence. But during a listening exercise I heard a girl say: いいえ、アメリカのえいがよくをみます。 にほんのえいがはあまりみません。 ・ "No, I often watch American movies. I don't watch Japanese movies often." In these sentences the frequency adverb is placed before the verb. So I'm just wondering where I can place a frequency adverb in a sentence while still keeping the sentence grammatically correct. Because this isn't explained in my book.
Aug 2, 2015 10:22 PM
Answers · 5
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Hi,I'm from Japan. Firstly, maybe you heard that"いいえ、アメリカのえいがをよくみます。",not "えいがよくをみます”. you can't put these adverbs before postpositional particles like "を","は”. These adverbs are used a lot of ways. If sentences are written "私はよく喫茶店に行きます。",it emphasize "喫茶店" and mean that I often go to "coffee shop" ,but I don't talk about other shop. If sentences are written "私は喫茶店によく行きます。" , it emphasize "行く" . But Japanese also say "よく私は喫茶店に行きます。" and it emphasize "I" and mean that I don't talk about other people,but "I" often go to coffee shop. Japanese put these adverbs at various part of sentences but usually put before noun or verb.
August 3, 2015
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I've found that placement of frequency adverbs in Japanese doesn't really matter. Compare: あまりテレビを見ません テレビをあまり見ません。 Think of this sentence as being composed of three parts: あまり (adverb), テレビを (noun and attached particle), and 見ません (verb). As long as the verb is at the end (at least in non-casual speech), and you're not sticking it in the middle of a part (because テレビあまりを doesn't make much sense), you can usually put it anywhere you feel like. There can be subtle nuance differences depending on where the frequency adverb is located in the sentence, but I find that it isn't often that big of a difference, especially in less complicated sentences. Here's a couple more example sentences; try comparing the differences between them: どうして宿題を全然やらないの? どうして全然宿題をやらないの? 全然どうして宿題をやらないの? Note that the last sentence doesn't make much sense. It's because it's confusing what the 全然 is modifying.
August 3, 2015
An adverb should before a verb. The order of a verb and its objects is opposite to ones of English. Among your examples as : いいえ、アメリカのえいがをよくみます。can be いいえ、よくアメリカのえいがをみます。 I hope this helps.
August 3, 2015
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