Activities: "How to use も (mo) with numbers in Japanese?"

Takashi is moving today and posting the day’s events on social media. Read each post, try to figure out which role the particular も is playing, and provide the translation for the underlined parts.

• さあ、今日は引越しだ。家具が少ないから、たぶん２時間もあれば終わると思う。

  Saa, kyō wa hikkoshi da. Kagu ga sukunai kara, tabun ni jikan mo areba owaru to omou.

  Well, today is a moving day. I don’t have much furniture, so I think it’ll probably be over if I devote .

  Role: Estimate (approximate number), “X or so”
  Clue: たぶん(probably); 〜あれば(if I devote ); 思う(I think)

  Vocabulary
  たぶん tabun probably	２時間 ni jikan two hours	あれば areba if I have/devote	おわる owaru to be over	と思う to omou I think

• 朝の９時。サトシを待っていたら、ほかに７人も手伝いに来てくれた！

  Asa no ku ji. Satoshi o matte itara, hoka ni nana-nin mo tetsudai ni kite kureta!

  9:00 a.m. I was waiting for Satoshi, and then came to help me!

  Role: assessment (more than expected), “as many as”
  Clue: He was expecting only one helper, but unexpectedly, seven more came to help.

  Vocabulary
  ほかに hoka ni additionally	７人 nana nin seven people	手伝いに来てくれた tetsudai ni kite kureta came to help me

• ようこさんは、みんなの分のおにぎりも持ってきてくれた！

  Yōko san wa, minna no bun no onigiri mo motte kite kureta!

  As for Yoko, she has brought for everybody!

  Role: Emphasis (sense of surprise), “even X”
  Clue: She has brought food for everyone unasked (the sense of surprise). There is no indication that she has brought anything else (so it’s not similarity).

  Vocabulary
  みんなの分の minna no bun no ...for everyone	おにぎり onigiri rice balls	持ってきてくれた motte kite kureta (kindly) brought with her (something)

• みんなのおかげで、荷物を運び出すのに３０分もかからなかった。感謝！✌

  Minna no okage de, nimotsu o hakobi dasu no ni sanjuppun mo kakaranakatta. Kansha!

  Thanks to everyone’s help, it took to carry out all the stuff. Thanks!

  Role: Assessment (less than expected), “as little as”
  Clue: His estimate was two hours. The actual time it took was less than 30 minutes.

  Vocabulary
  荷物 nimotsu one’s stuff	運び出す hakobidasu to carry out	３０分 sanjuppun thirty minutes	かからなかった kakaranakatta didn’t take

• なにもない部屋で、みんなでおにぎりを食べているところ。まるで引越しパーティーだ。

  Nani mo nai heya de, minna de onigiri o tabete iru tokoro. Marude hikkoshi pātii da.

  In the room where , we are eating rice balls together right now. It’s like having a moving party.

  Role: Assessment (less than expected), “as little as”
  Clue: His estimate was two hours. The actual time it took was less than 30 minutes.

  Vocabulary
  なに nani what	ない nai not exist; there is not	部屋 heya room	みんなで minna de with everybody; together	食べているところ abete iru tokoro are eating right now

• 「さあ、お腹もいっぱいになったし、そろそろ出発するか」とサトシが言った。みんなよっこらしょと立ち上がった。

  “Sā, onaka mo ippai ni natta shi, sorosoro shuppatsu suru ka” to Satoshi ga itta. Minna yokkorasho to tachiagatta.

  “Well, now that , shall we get going now?” said Satoshi. Everyone got on their feet languidly.

  Role: Effect of roundaboutness to soften the tone (polite indirectness)
  Clue: It sounds like there is a parallel element to お腹(stomach) though there is none. Satoshi is taking an initiative to persuade the group to get going in a less direct way.

  Vocabulary
  さあ sā now	お腹がいっぱい onaka ga ippai are full	〜になったし ... ni natta shi now that we have become …	そろそろ sorosoro by and by	出発するか shuppatsu suru ka shall we get going

• ４年間住んだこのアパートともこれでお別れだ。😢

  Yonenkan sunda kono apāto to mo kore de owakare da.

  it’s time to part ways where I lived for four years.

  Role: Conveying emotions and feelings; “wow” / “hard to believe”
  Clue: これでお別れだ(it’s time to part ways) suggests that a change is occuring. He has lived in the apartment for four years; now he is moving out. The emotions can be negative or positive, but the crying emoji hints that he is feeling a little sad about leaving.

  Vocabulary
  ４年間 yonenkan four years	住んだ sunda lived	このアパートと kono apāto to with this apartment	これでお別れだ kore de owakare da It’s time to part ways

• となりの部屋のおばあさんも外に出てきて、大家さんと一緒に手を振って見送ってくれた。

  Tonari no heya no obāsan mo soto ni dete kite, ōya san to issho ni te o futte miokutte kureta.

  came outside and gave me a send-off with our landlord, both waving good-bye.

  Role: Conveying emotions and feelings; “wow” / “hard to believe”similarity (“also” / “too”); it could be interpreted as emphasis (even X)
  Clue: The sentence implies that the landlord has already come outside to send Takashi off; and so did the elderly lady. Alternatively, we could argue that to Takashi’s surprise, even the elderly lady has come outside. It depends on the past relationship between the two neighbors, but we can’t really tell from this short post.

  Vocabulary
  ４年間 yonenkan four years	住んだ sunda lived	このアパートと kono apāto to with this apartment	これでお別れだ kore de owakare da It’s time to part ways

• ぼくもトラックの窓から手を振った。「いろいろとありがとうございました！」と叫びながら。

  Boku mo torakku no mado kara te o futta. “Iroiro to arigatō gozaimashita!” to sakebinagara.

  waved good-bye from the window of the truck, shouting, “Thank you for everything!”

  Role: similarity
  Clue: In the previous post, he says the landlord and the elderly lady next door waved good-bye. So did he.

  Vocabulary
  ぼく boku I (male)	トラックの窓 torakku no mado the window of the pick-up truck	手を振った te o futta waved good-bye

Let’s practice responding to questions with short answers! Use the verb given in the word bank in an appropriate form.

• Someone asked you how often you’ve been to Kyoto. Tell them you’ve never been there, not even once.

  Vocabulary
  たぶん tabun probably

  Example:
  (京都へは)一度も行ったことがありません。[(Kyōto e wa) ichido mo itta koto ga arimasen. ](I’ve never been (to Kyoto), not even once.)

• Someone asked you how many coworkers attended a Zoom meeting you had organized. Tell them not a single person did. (Oops! You must have told them the wrong date/time or sent them the incorrect link!)

  Vocabulary
  出席する shusseki suru to attend

  Example:
  一人も出席しませんでした。[Hitori mo shusseki shimasendeshita.](Not a single person attended.)

• Someone asked you how much money you have left after a shopping spree in Akihabara, Tokyo (where you can buy cool anime goods, exciting video games, and the latest electronic gadgets). Tell them you have no money left, not even one cent.

  Vocabulary
  残っている nokotte iru to have (something) left	一銭 issen one cent

  Example:
  一銭も残っていません。[Issen mo nokotte imasen.](I have no money left, not even one cent.)

  Did you know?
  銭(sen) is an old denomination in Japan and is equivalent to ¥0.01. It’s not in circulation any more, but the term is still used in common phrases such as 一銭もない [issen mo nai](I have no money) or 無銭飲食[musen inshoku](dine and dash).