Japanese with Manga

Not all that fun with それほど〜ない

Grammar Explanation: Not as much as with 〜ほど〜ない

Maruko, Tama-chan, and Bootaro stand side by side outside the church. Maruko and Tama-chan smile, while Bootaro, sweating a little, looks at them with half-closed eyes. A smaller boy peeks in at the bottom left.
ちびまる子ちゃん » Volume 9 » Page 116

Bootaro has started going to church with a relative. He told Maruko and Tama-chan it was pretty fun, with hymns, picture-story shows of Bible stories, and snacks. Maruko, mostly interested in the snacks, decided to go too, and Tama-chan came along. On Sunday the two meet Bootaro outside the church.

まる子(こ):
「わくわくするねえ」
“This is so exciting!”
たまちゃん:
「うん」
“Yeah.”
ブー太郎(たろう):
「そんなに期待(きたい)するなよブー　べつにそれほど面白(おもしろ)くないぞブー」
“Don't get your hopes up that much, boo. It's not all that fun, boo.”

Key Points

1それほど〜ない = “not all that ~”
  • Aほど〜ない means “not as ~ as A”. When A is それ, “that”, the yardstick is whatever degree is being talked about. Here it is the fun Maruko and Tama-chan are expecting.
  • それほど面白(おもしろ)くない means “not all that fun”. Church is still somewhat fun, just less than they imagine. Earlier he told them it was けっこうおもしろい, “pretty fun”, so he isn’t taking that back.
  • ほど needs the negative to make this comparison. Here it is the ない in 面白(おもしろ)くない.
2そんなに期待(きたい)するな = “don’t expect so much”
  • Verb + な is the prohibitive form, a blunt “don’t”. 期待(きたい)するな is “don’t expect” or “don’t get your hopes up”.
  • そんなに means “that much” or “so much”, pointing at the girls’ excitement after Maruko’s わくわくするねえ.
  • よ after な softens the order a little and makes it sound like friendly advice.
3べつに with a negative
  • べつに with a negative means “not particularly”. It makes his statement even more low-key: “it’s not, you know, all that fun”.
4ぞ and ブー
  • ぞ is a rough, mostly masculine sentence ending that asserts something to the listener. It makes his warning sound firm.
  • ブー is Bootaro’s verbal tic. He ends many of his lines with it, and it adds no meaning.
5わくわくする
  • わくわく describes a heart racing with excitement or anticipation. わくわくする is “to be excited”, and ねえ invites Tama-chan to agree.

Vocabulary

(Excited)

わくわく describes a heart racing with excitement or anticipation.

(To do)

する is to do or perform something. It also turns many nouns into verbs, as in 勉強する.

(That much)

そんなに describes a degree like the one just mentioned. With a negative, it means “not that much”.

(Not particularly)

べつに is the kana spelling of 別(べつ)に. With a negative, it means “not particularly” and makes a statement more low-key.

(Not all that)

それほど means “to that degree”. With a negative, it means “not all that” or “not especially”.

See Also

ちびまる子ちゃん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.