GRAMMAR
〜くらい ②
to the extent that
Explanation
NOTE
〜くらい② expresses an extreme degree — "to the extent that..." or "so much that..."
死ぬくらい疲れた。
I was tired to the point of death.
Used here to indicate the extreme degree of a feeling or state, often using hyperbole.
NOTE
It describes a situation so intense that a particular result follows. Attaches to plain verb or i-adjective dictionary form.
STRUCTURE
V普
くらい飛び上がるくらい驚いた。
Tobiagaru kurai odoroita.
I was so surprised I nearly jumped.
泣くくらい嬉しかった。
Naku kurai ureshikatta.
I was so happy I could cry.
頭が割れるくらい痛い。
Atama ga wareru kurai itai.
My head hurts so much it feels like it's splitting.
STRUCTURE
Adj-I辞
くらい目が痛いくらい眩しかった。
Me ga itai kurai mabushikatta.
It was so bright it hurt my eyes.
恥ずかしいくらい大きな声で笑った。
Hazukashii kurai ooki na koe de waratta.
She laughed so loudly it was almost embarrassing.
信じられないくらい安かった。
Shinjirarenai kurai yasukatta.
It was so cheap it was unbelievable.
Practice exercises
1
涙が出るくらい笑った。
I laughed so much that tears came out.
Answer
くらい
2
立てないくらい疲れた。
I got so tired that I couldn't stand up.
Answer
くらい
3
歩けないくらい足が痛い。
My feet hurt so much that I can't walk.
Answer
くらい
4
死にたいくらい恥ずかしかった。
I was so embarrassed that I wanted to die.
Answer
くらい
5
泣きたいくらい悔しかった。
I was so frustrated that I wanted to cry.
Answer
くらい
6
動けないくらい寒い。
It's so cold that I can't move.
Answer
くらい
7
このテストは、頭が痛くなる位難しかった。
This test was difficult to the extent that it gave me a headache.
Answer
位
8
この料理は、毎日食べられる好きだ。
I like this dish to the extent that I could eat it every day.
Answer
食べられる
9
泣くくらい嬉しかった。
I was so happy I could cry.
Answer
くらい
10
涙が出るくらい感動的な話だった。
It was a story so moving that tears came out.
Answer
くらい
11
眩しくて目が痛いくらい、直視できなかった。
It was so bright and eye-hurting that I couldn't look directly at it.
Answer
くらい