Can I use とても　with すぎる?


I am trying to say: "This homework is too long/big"

I just learned about the existence of すぎる at <http://www.learn-japanese-
adventure.com/sugiru.html>

Is it correct to use it with とても？ For example:

この しゅくだい は とても おおきすぎます。




The short answer is: Yes, you can.

In order to correctly use both 「とても」 and 「すぎる」 in a clause or short sentence,
however, you also **_must_** use a **_negative_** expression within it.

That is exactly why your sentence:

> 「この しゅくだい は とても おおきすぎます。」

is ungrammatical, unnatural, etc. There is no negative expression in it. In
addition, it is far more natural to say 「おおすぎる」 than 「おおきすぎる」 about the
size/amount of homework. [多]{おお}い > [大]{おお}きい

One way to make it correct by adding a negative expression would be to say:

> 「この しゅくだい は おおすぎて とても **できません** 。」

「できません」("I can/could not do") is the negative expression I have added.

You have probably noticed that I moved the word 「とても」 around. That is because
in the new sentence, 「とても」 modifies 「できません」, and not 「おおきすぎて」.

I am sure that you learned 「とても」 meant "very" just like we Japanese-speakers
learned that "very" meant 「とても」 in school.

Truth is, though, Japanese-speakers **_do not_** often use 「とても」 to mean
"very" in daily conversations. We use 「たいへん」、「すごく」、「[非常]{ひじょう}に」, etc.
considerably more often than 「とても」.

In fact, try looking up 「とても」 in any **_monolingual_** Japanese dictionary and
you will be shocked that "very" will not be listed as the first definition.

[Look in the
大辞林](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%BF%9A%E3%82%82-584164#E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.9E.97.20.E7.AC.AC.E4.B8.89.E7.89.88)
for instance. You will find that "very" will only be the second definition.

What is the first, then? It is the "とても + negative expression" that I am
discussing here. In English, that definition would be along the lines of
"regardless", "no matter what", etc. This is why the new sentence that I
formed above makes sense.

> "This homework is just so much that I couldn't do it (no matter what)!"




The short answer is: Yes, you can.

In order to correctly use both 「とても」 and 「すぎる」 in a clause or short sentence,
however, you also **_must_** use a **_negative_** expression within it.

That is exactly why your sentence:

> 「この しゅくだい は とても おおきすぎます。」

is ungrammatical, unnatural, etc. There is no negative expression in it. In
addition, it is far more natural to say 「おおすぎる」 than 「おおきすぎる」 about the
size/amount of homework. [多]{おお}い > [大]{おお}きい

One way to make it correct by adding a negative expression would be to say:

> 「この しゅくだい は おおすぎて とても **できません** 。」

「できません」("I can/could not do") is the negative expression I have added.

You have probably noticed that I moved the word 「とても」 around. That is because
in the new sentence, 「とても」 modifies 「できません」, and not 「おおきすぎて」.

I am sure that you learned 「とても」 meant "very" just like we Japanese-speakers
learned that "very" meant 「とても」 in school.

Truth is, though, Japanese-speakers **_do not_** often use 「とても」 to mean
"very" in daily conversations. We use 「たいへん」、「すごく」、「[非常]{ひじょう}に」, etc.
considerably more often than 「とても」.

In fact, try looking up 「とても」 in any **_monolingual_** Japanese dictionary and
you will be shocked that "very" will not be listed as the first definition.

[Look in the
大辞林](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E8%BF%9A%E3%82%82-584164#E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.9E.97.20.E7.AC.AC.E4.B8.89.E7.89.88)
for instance. You will find that "very" will only be the second definition.

What is the first, then? It is the "とても + negative expression" that I am
discussing here. In English, that definition would be along the lines of
"regardless", "no matter what", etc. This is why the new sentence that I
formed above makes sense.

> "This homework is just so much that I couldn't do it (no matter what)!"

