“sukunaku tomo” vs. “semete” : Most People Don’t Know How to Use
“少なくとも(sukunaku tomo) and せめて(semete)”, both are “At least”. So this is one of the complicated words. However, when figuring out just “One point” of the way to use “少なくとも and せめて”, you would be able to easily speak, listen, write and read these words. What do you think “One point”? It’s not too difficult. Let me introduce how you easily use “少なくとも and せめて” today!
少なくとも(sukunaku tomo)
At least (Everybody can easily understand.)
“少なくとも(sukunaku tomo)” means “At least” and which is used as the meaning of “not less than a particular amount or number”. The tips for using it is that “少なくとも” is used for “GENERAL TALK” that means everybody knows or can easily understand about something, unlike “せめて”. Everybody could use this as casual, polite and formal such as “卵は少なくとも200円はするよ。(The eggs will cost at least 200 yen.)” as casual and “卵は少なくとも200円はします。(The eggs will cost at least 200 yen.)” as polite and formal.
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Sample
yuka少なくともマキは来ると思うよ。 (I think at least Maki will come.) (我想至少Maki会来。) (적어도 마키는 올 거라고 생각해.) (Tớ nghĩ ít nhất thì sẽ có Maki đến.) (sukunaku tomo Maki wa kuru to omou yo.)
tatsuya卵は少なくとも200円はするよ。 (The eggs will cost at least 200 yen.) (鸡蛋至少要200日元。) (달걀은 적어도 200엔은 해.) (Trứng gà rẻ thì cũng phải 200 yên đấy.) (tamago wa sukunaku tomo ni hyaku en wa suru yo.)
yuka少なくとも２１時にはバスに乗らないと、家につかないよ。 (I gotta ride on the bus at least 9 p.m, I won’t be home.) (至少要赶搭21点的公交车，不然到不了家的哦！) (적어도 21시에는 버스에 타지 않으면, 집에 갈 수 없어.) (Trễ lắm là 21 giờ phải lên xe bus rồi, không thì không về nhà kịp đâu.) (sukunaku tomo nijū ichi ji ni wa basu ni noranai to, ie ni tsuka nai yo.)
tatsuya少なくとも２キロは歩けるよ。 (I can walk at least two kilometers.) (我至少能够走上2公里。) (적어도 2킬로미터는 걸을 수 있어.) (Ít ra thì tớ cũng đi bộ được 2km đó.) (sukunaku tomo ni kiro wa arukeru yo.)
yuka日本語を話すのに、少なくとも２年はかかると思うよ。 (I think it takes at least 2 years to learn Japanese.) (我认为要会说日语至少需要两年时间。) (일본어로 말할 수 있을 때까지, 적어도 2년은 걸릴 거라고 생각해.) (Để có thể nói chuyện bằng tiếng Nhật thì phải mất ít nhất 2 năm đấy.) (nihongo o hanasu no ni, sukunaku tomo ni nen wa kakaru to omou yo.)
せめて(semete)
At least (Someone’s wish)
“せめて(semete)” also means “At least”, however, “せめて” and “少なくとも” have subtle differences. Although “少なくとも” is used for “GENERAL TALK”, “せめて” is used for “SOMEONE’S WISH” that means someone wants to do something or wants somebody to do something, unlike 少なくとも. That’s what their difference is. For example, “せめて100円恵んでくださいませんか？(If you don’t mind, would you give me at least 100 yen?)” is used for “SOMEONE’S WISH” and is the right way, whereas “少なくとも100円恵んでください。” means “Please give me at least 100 yen.” which we feel and is the wrong way. Again, “少なくとも” is basically used for “GENERAL TALK”, so we think that it is common sense that we give 100 yen to people who we don’t know in using “少なくとも”. Lastly, “せめて” has been often used that “せめて__したい。(At least I WANT to ___.)” or “せめて___してほしい。(At least I WISH/HOPE ___.)” because “せめて” includes “SOMEONE’S WISH”.
Sample
tatsuyaせめて机の周りだけでもきれいにしたいな。 (I at least want to straighten things up around the desk.) (我想桌子周围起码要保持干净啊。) (최소한 책상 주변이라도 깨끗이 하고 싶은데.) (Chí ít thì tớ cũng muốn làm sạch xung quanh bàn làm việc.) (semete tsukue no mawari dake demo kirei ni shitai na.)
yukaせめてメールくらいしてよ！ (At least text me or something!) (最起码给我发个电子邮件！) (적어도 메일 정도는 해!) (Ít ra cũng phải gửi tin nhắn cho tớ chứ!) (semete mēru kurai shite yo!)
tatsuya次のテストでは、せめて６０点は取りたい。 (I wanna get at least 60 on the next test.) (在接下来的测试中，我至少要获得60分。) (다음 테스트에서는, 최소한 60점 정도는 받고 싶은데.) (Trong bài kiểm tra tiếp theo, chí ít thì tớ muốn đạt được ít nhất 60 điểm.) (tsugi no tesuto de wa, semete roku jutte n wa tori tai.)
yukaせめて名前ぐらいは覚えてもらいたい。 (I want him to remember at least my name.) (起码希望你能记住我的名字。) (최소한 이름 정도는 기억해 줬으면 좋겠어.) (Ít nhất thì cậu làm ơn nhớ dùm cái tên đi.) (semete namae gurai wa oboe te morai tai.)
tatsuya宝くじをたくさん買ったし、せめて3,000円ぐらいは当たってほしい。 (Since I bought a lot of lotteries, I hope to win at least 3,000 yen.) (我买了很多彩票，最起码该让我能中3000日元。) (복권을 많이 샀으니까, 적어도 3000엔 정도는 당첨됐으면 좋겠어.) (Tớ đã mua rất nhiều vé số, hy vọng ít nhất cũng trúng được 3000 yen.) (takarakuji wo takusan kattashi, semete sanzen en gurai wa atatte hoshī.)
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