Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 10: 12/21

一体(いったい)(What) the heck?, (Who) in the world?, (Where) on earth?, (How many) f*ing...

Structure

いったい + Question Word + Phrase

Details

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About 一体

In order to convey the feeling of 'what the heck', with any 'how', 'what', 'where' or 'why' type question, the adverb 一体(いったい) will be used in Japanese. いったい appears frequently both with, and without kanji.

いったい will usually be seen at the beginning of sentences, before some statement about what the speaker finds unbelievable.

The literal meaning of いったい is 'one body', or 'one form'. In this way, when paired with questions, いったい can be thought of meaning 'in a way that can be understood, what is (A)', or 'in a way that makes sense, what is (A)'.

Fun Fact

Like the 'one body', or 'one form' meaning mentioned above, 一体(いったい) is sometimes used to mean 'in general', or 'generally' when seen as 一体(いったい)に. However, this use is slowly becoming less common, partly due to how often 一体(いったい) is used simply to express surprise or shock.

  • アメリカ人(じん)は一体(いったい)に親切(しんせつ)です。
    Americans are generally polite.

Examples

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    あの人(ひと)は一体(いったい)誰(だれ)なのだろう…

    Who the heck is that person?

    一体(いったい)いつ、掃除(そうじ)をする暇(ひま)があるというんだ。

    When the heck do I have time to clean?

    彼(かれ)は一体(いったい)どういうつもりなんだ。

    What on earth does he intend to do?

    あの人(ひと)は一体(いったい)何歳(なんさい)なんだろう。

    How freaking old is that person?

    僕(ぼく)たちの未来(みらい)は一体(いったい)どうなるんだろう…

    What on earth will become of us in the future?

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      一体 – Grammar Discussion

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      • someone2020

        someone2020

        Relatable, useful grammar point

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