Amari hashitte-inai-n-da. (I don't jog very often.)

Situation 1: Mr. Mita talks to Mr. Sere about fitness.

三田： 最近、ジョギングしている？

セレ： あまり走っていないんだ。忙しいと、時間がとれなくて。

Mita: Saikin, jogingu-shite-iru?

Sere: Amari hashitte-inai-n-da. Isogashii-to, nakanaka jikan-ga torenakute.

Mita: Have you been jogging recently?

Sere: I don't jog very often. When I'm busy, I can't seem to make the time for it.

Today we will introduce the proper use of two adverbs: あまりand 大(たい)して. The phrase あまり(～ない) means "(not) very much" and expresses that the degree of something is not high. あまり is usually used in negative constructions, such as this one: この車 (くるま)はあまり高(たか)くない (This car is not so expensive), but the word あまり itself does not have a negative connotation. Examples: からい食べ物(たべもの)はあまり好(す)きじゃないんです (I don't like hot food much); 去年(きょねん)の冬(ふゆ)はあまり寒 (さむ)くなかった (It wasn't very cold last winter). When あまり modifies the verb that expresses the action, it means "seldom" or "rarely" and often shows that the frequency is not so high. Examples: 私(わたし)はテレビのドラマはあまり見(み)ない (I seldom watch TV dramas); 兄(あに)は家(いえ)のそうじをあまりしない (My older brother rarely cleans his house). あまり is often used to soften the negative meaning. Example: はるかは成績(せいせき)はあまりよくなかったが、スポーツは万能(ばんのう)だった (Haruka didn't do well in school, but she was an all-round athlete).

Situation 2: Ms. Gray and Ms. Tamachi discuss their work.

グレイ： あんなにがんばったのに、大して仕事が進まないね。

田町： うん。もう少しやり方を変えたほうがいいんじゃない？

Gray: Annani ganbatta-no-ni, taishite shigoto-ga susumanai-ne.

Tamachi: Un. Mō sukoshi yarikata-o kaeta hō-ga ii-n-ja nai?

Gray: Even though we worked so hard, we didn't make much of a dent in our work, did we?

Tamachi: Yeah. Maybe we should change our way of working ...?

大(たい)して(～ ない) has a similar meaning to あまり(～ ない) — "(not) very much" — and is likewise used in negative sentences. Example: 天気予報(てんきよほう)では大雨(おおあめ)が降(ふ)ると 言(い)っていたが、大(たい)して降(ふ)らなかった (The forecast said that it would rain a lot, but it didn't rain much). 大して often conveys a speaker's negative or surprised feeling, such as disappointment or a bad impression of something, while あまり is an objective expression. Example: あの歌手(かしゅ)は大(たい)して歌(うた)がうまくないのに、どうしてあんなに人気(にんき)があるの だろうか (Why is that singer so popular even though he is not very good at singing?)

Bonus Dialogue: At the Okubos' house. Mrs. Okubo asks her daughter, Takako, a junior high school student, why she hasn't been eating much of her dinner lately.

母： あれ、もう食(た)べないの？

たか子： 大(たい)しておなかがすいていないの。最近(さいきん)、体重(たいじゅう)が増(ふ)えちゃったから、あまり食(た)べないようにしているんだ。

母： ええっ、たか子は全然(ぜんぜん)太(ふと)っていないじゃない。中学生(ちゅうがくせい)はダイエットなんて しなくてもいいのよ。

たか子： そんなことないよ。みんなやっているよ。お母さんは 中学生のことをあまりわかっていないよ。

母： まだ成長期(せいちょうき)なんだから、きちんと食べ なくちゃ。身長(しんちょう)も伸(の)びないよ。

たか子： それはいやだな。お母(かあ)さんもあまり背(せ)が 高(たか)くないし。

母： だったら、ちゃんと食べなさい。

たか子： わかった。でも、お母さんこそ、ダイエットしたほうがいいんじゃない？　最近(さいきん)、体重が増えた でしょう？

母： わかってるわよ。あしたからやるから！

Mother: Hey, are you not going to eat any more?

Takako: I'm not really hungry. Recently I've gained a bit of weight, so I've decided not to eat so much.

Mother: What? But you're not at all fat! Junior high school students shouldn't be going on diets.

Takako: You're wrong. Everybody's doing it. You don't know much about junior high students.

Mother: You're still in a period of growth, and you have to eat properly or you won't grow taller.

Takako: Oh, I don't fancy that — no way! Come to think of it, you're not very tall, either.

Mother: So, you should eat properly, then.

Takako: Understood. But shouldn't you think about going on a diet yourself? You've gained weight recently, haven't you?

Mother: I know! I'll start dieting tomorrow.