Meaning
Combines あまり with a negative form to show low frequency or a small degree.
Formation
- あまり goes before the predicate and the predicate must be negative: あまり見ません
- Colloquial variant: あんまり
When to use it
- Core use
- Not very, not often
Example
私はあまりテレビを見ません
I do not watch much television.
Important notes
- Pay attention to the word form before the construction and to the particles around it.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate the pattern word for word; first identify its function in the whole situation.