How to use ~すこしも~ない (~sukoshimo ~nai): A Streetwise JLPT N4 Grammar Guide

sukoshimo

あのダイヤモンド強盗ごうとうすこしもむずかしくなかったぜ。
That diamond heist wasn’t difficult at all.

Category: ,

So what’s the deal with this phrase? Why not just say 「じゃない」 or 「ません」? Because that’s weak sauce, player. Using 「少しも~ない」 adds heavy emphasis. You’re stressing the total absence of something. Think of it like this: telling your crew “I don’t have the money” is one thing. Telling them “I ain’t got a single dime” hits different, right? That’s what 「少しも~ない」 does. It draws a line in the sand. It’s the difference between a maybe and a definite “never.” It’s that ice-cold stare from the Don that tells you the conversation is over. Absolute. Zero. Nada

Picture a bank vault, the kind you see in heist movies. Solid steel, impossible to crack. Now, someone asks you, “Is there any money left in the vault after the big score?” If you say 「おかねはありません」 , it’s like, “There’s no money.” Simple.

But if you say, 「おかねすこしもありません」, you’re saying, “That vault is BONE DRY. There’s not even a little bit of cash, not even a lint-covered yen.” 「少しも~ない」 is that empty vault. It emphasizes a complete and total void. Nothing is left. Absolutely nothing. 💰


Grammar Conjugation Guide.
Task: Try to conjugate some different verbs to practice the rule.

Peep this. Here’s how you hook this grammar pattern up.

TypeFormulaExampleTranslation
Verb少しも + Verb (ない form) + ないあの密告みっこくしゃのことはすこしもしんじない。I don’t trust that snitch at all.
い-Adjective少しも + Adjective (stem) + くないこの偽札にせさつすこしも本物ほんものっぽくない。This counterfeit money doesn’t look real at all.
な-Adjective少しも + Adjective + じゃないボスの計画けいかくすこしも危険きけんじゃない。The boss’s plan isn’t dangerous in the slightest.
Noun少しも + Noun + じゃないかれすこしもヤクザじゃない。ただのチンピラだ。He’s not a yakuza at all. He’s just a punk.

The magic here is the tag team of 「少しも」 and the negative ending 「~ない」 (or 「~くない」/「~じゃない」). They gotta work together, like Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. The 「も」 particle is the hype man; it links up with the negative at the end to pump up the meaning to “not even a little.” You can’t have one without the other for this grammar to pop off correctly. You leave out the negative ending, and the whole thing falls apart.


Example sentences with audio.
Task: Try to shadow at least 5 sentences perfectly.

Aight, check these dispatches from the block.

このかくすこしも安全あんぜんじゃない。
This safe house isn’t safe at all.

あのボスのことはすこしもこわくない。
I’m not scared of that boss one bit.

証拠しょうこ現場げんばすこしものこっていなかった。
There wasn’t even a little bit of evidence left at the scene.

かれ仲間なかま裏切うらぎったことをすこしも後悔こうかいしていない。
He doesn’t feel any remorse at all for betraying his crew.

おれたちの強盗ごうとう計画けいかくすこしも弱点じゃくてんはない。
There are absolutely no weaknesses in our heist plan.

あの汚職おしょく警官けいかんのことはすこしも信用しんようしていない。
I don’t trust that crooked cop one bit.

そのアリバイはすこしもしんじられない。
That alibi isn’t the least bit believable.

対立たいりつするくみすこしも名誉めいよっていない。
The rival gang has no honor whatsoever.

逃走とうそうようくるますこしもはやくなかった。
The getaway car wasn’t fast at all.

かれ借金しゃっきんかえすこしもない。
He has absolutely no intention of paying back the loan.


Definitions of the new vocabulary.
Task: Try to guess what each word actually means.

Here’s the new lingo you’ll need to run these streets.


隠れ家

[かくれが] That’s your spot, the crib where you lay low when the Feds or your enemies are on your tail.


証拠

[しょうこ] This is the proof, the stuff they find that can either put you away for a long time or get you off the hook.


後悔する

[こうかいする] That’s when you look back and wish you ain’t done some dirt you did, feel me?


強盗計画

[ごうとうけいかく] This is the whole damn blueprint for the lick, how you and the crew gonna run up and get that bag.


弱点

[じゃくてん] Every real G got one; it’s that soft spot that your rivals will try to use against you to bring you down.


汚職警官

[おしょくけいかん] This is that crooked cop who’s on the payroll, doin’ dirt and lookin’ the other way for some cash.


[くみ] Crew. This is your squad, your family, the people you roll with through thick and thin.


名誉

[めいよ] It’s all about your rep on the streets; it’s the respect you command, and you gotta protect it at all costs.


逃走用の車

[とうそうようのくるま] That’s the ride you got sittin’ outside, engine runnin’, ready to burn rubber the second the job is done.


借金

[しゃっきん] That’s when you owe somebody, and you best believe they’re gonna come collect, one way or another.


That’s the 4-1-1 for today. Keep your head up and your grammar tight. Holla at ya boy later. Peace out.

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