Structure
いったい + Question Word + Phrase
Details
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Standard
使用域
一般
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 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.
いったい will usually be seen at the beginning of sentences, before some statement about what the speaker finds unbelievable.
- 一体ここで何が起きたんだ!What the heck happened here?
- これは一体どういうことだ。What is the meaning of this?
- 一体なんでこんな事になったの?Explain to me in a way that makes sense, why something like this happened?
- 一体なんであんな奴と付き合ようと思ったの?In a way that I can understand, why did you think of dating someone like him?
Fun Fact
Like the 'one body', or 'one form' meaning mentioned above, 一体 is sometimes used to mean 'in general', or 'generally' when seen as 一体に. However, this use is slowly becoming less common, partly due to how often 一体 is used simply to express surprise or shock.- アメリカ人は一体に親切です。Americans are generally polite.
Synonyms
Examples
いったいいつになったら外出の準備ができるんだろう。
When on earth are you going to be ready to go out?
今年納める税金はいったいいくらになるかしら。
I wonder how much freaking tax I will pay this year.
この牧場にはいったい何匹の牛がいるかな。
I wonder how many freaking cows there are on this farm.
この気持ちの悪い生き物はいったい何ですか?
What on earth is this ugly creature?
僕たちの未来は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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What the heck does いったい mean?
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一体 – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
someone2020
Relatable, useful grammar point
mrnoone
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