Learn the Japanese Particle “Sura”すら : Hey guys welcome welcome welcome to another awesome Japanese lesson from Bondlingo. Today’s lesson is a little more advanced as today’s grammar point sits comfortably around the N1 level. We are going to be looking at the Japanese particle “sura” which means “even”. It’s a little hard to get to grips with at first but we are really confident that you will pick it up in no time!
Contents
Learn the Japanese Particle “Sura”すら
We are going to first talk about how and when we would use this particle to gain a little bit more of an understanding of it. From this we are going to break down the grammar rules to help us be able to form our own sentences. Lastly, we will then be having a look at some examples sentences so you can get confident in the patterns and structures. Okay guys let’s get right into it and start learning all about すら.
So what is すら and when should I use this particle?
So what is “sura”? Well in English we use it just like we use the word “even”. “Even you could do it!” It’s spoken counterpart is “sae” which you may have heard before, this also means “even” すら is the written form of さえ and is used mostly in 書き言葉 or written language. Like we said earlier, this concept is a really high level grammar point in Japanese, so you most likely won’t hear it in day to day use. Just take things slow and go at your own pace, we know you will get there.
We now need to look at the grammar rules for this and ensure we have a great understanding of we can form and use the particle in our own communication.
Let’s break down the grammar rules for “Sura”
Now we are going to Break down the grammar rules for using すら.
So essentially all you need to do it add “sura” after a noun like this:
Learn the Japanese Particle : Noun + すら
その日は一日じゅう、誕生日祝いのことばすらかけてもらえなかった。
They didn’t even wish me happy birthday all day.
sono hi wa ichinichijuu, tanjoubi iwai no kotoba sura kakete moraenakatta
As you can see here this is used straight after kotoba (a noun) to express “even”.
The best way to understand this concept is through various sentences. Let’s now look at some great sentences that include “sura”. Remember that you really need to read these sentences a lot more than 5 – 6 times to let the patterns sink into your brain and tattoo the pattern into your memory.
Let’s look at some great sentences that use “sura”
Let’s now have a look at some of these awesome sentences.
In this first sentence the speaker wants to express the fact that he can’t EVEN eat by himself. He is looking to emphasise that “even the action of eating” is hard or him.
重い病気のため、一人では食事すらできない。
Because of my serious illness, I can’t even eat by myself.
omoi byouki no tame, hitori dewa shokuji sura dekinai.
In this next example the question is so hard to the point that “even the professors” cant answer the question.
大学の教授ですら、その問題には答えられなかった。
Even university professors couldn’t answer that question.
daigaku no kyouju de sura, sono mondai niwa kotaerarenakatta
In this example the speaker wants to express that the problem is so serious “he cant even talk to his best friend about it”.
この悩みは親友にすら言えない。
I can’t talk about this problem even with my best friend.
kono nayami wa shin’yuu ni sura ienai.
In this last example sentence, the girl that the speaker wanted to talk to “didn’t even remember his name” how depressing!
エリと話したけど、彼女は私の名前すら思い出さなかった。
I talked to Eri, but she didn’t even remember my name.
eri to hanashita kedo, kanojo wa watashi no namae sura omoidasanakatta.
Make sure guys that you are reading these sentences out loud over and over again so the patterns can sink into your memory. This is a fantastic way to get to grips with new concepts and build up your ability to be able to use it fluently in conversation. Once you have read these patterns out loud and committed them to memory, you should then look at taking some time to create your own sentences using the grammar point. Then you will have all the practice you need to translate that into real life conversations and a good speed.
In Summary
Wow guys, what a fantastic lesson today, we really hope that you have learnt a lot from the lesson and can utilise this new grammar point now in your own communication. Have a great day and as always if you have any more questions or feedback on other subjects that you would like to cover in our next online Japanese articles, please do get in touch with us, we love hearing your comments and ideas.
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