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Let’s learn Japanese with the narrator’s quote from Berserk.

Video

Berserk Narrator’s Quote

Japanese: それは剣というにはあまりに大きすぎた。
Romaji: sore wa ken to iu niwa amarini ōki sugita.
English: It was far too big to be called a sword.

Analysis

それ means “it” which is indicating the Dragon Slayer, the weapon that Guts is using.

The particle は is used to indicate the topic of the sentence which is the Dragon Slayer.

The predicate of the sentence is 剣というにはあまりに大きすぎた. There is the grammar “A には B すぎる” meaning “too B to do A”. The A ends with a verb dictionary form and the B ends with the stem of an adjective, and すぎた is just the past tense of すぎる.

Now let’s look at the A part “剣という”.

剣 means “a sword”.

The quotation particle と and the verb いう means “to be called” so 剣という means “to be called a sword”.

And the B part consists of あまりに and the stem of the adjective 大きい.

あまりに is used to emphasise the following adjective, meaning “so much” or “way too much”.

The adjective 大きい means “big” so あまりに大きすぎた means ”was far too big”.

So 剣というにはあまりに大きすぎた means “was far too big to be called a sword”.

Examples

Verb Dictionary Form + には + Adjective + すぎる (too … to do something)

この家いえは一人ひとりで住すむには広ひろすぎる。

kono ie wa hitori de sumu niwa hiro sugiru.

This house is too spacious to live alone.

この時期じきは、屋外おくがいプールで泳およぐには寒さむすぎる。

kono jiki wa okugai pūru de oyogu niwa samu sugiru.

It’s too cold to swim in the outdoor pool at this time of year.

梅干うめぼしはご飯はんなしで食たべるにはしょっぱすぎる。

umeboshi wa gohan nashi de taberu niwa shoppa sugiru.

Umeboshi (salted plums) is too salty to eat without rice.

あまりに (so much, way too much)

店員てんいんの態度たいどがあまりにひどくて、店みせを出でた。

ten’in no taido ga amarini hidokute, mise o deta.

The shop staff’s attitude was so awful that we left the shop.

 渋谷しぶやはあまりに人ひとが多おおくて、ちょっと歩あるいただけで疲つかれた。

shibuya wa amarini hito ga ōkute, chotto aruita dake de tsukareta.

Shibuya was so crowded that I got tired even after walking around a bit.

あまりに嬉うれしくて、叫さけんでしまった。

amarini ureshikute, sakende shimatta.

I was so happy that I couldn’t help shrieking.

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