--- Examples ---
今度は徹夜になりそうだ。今のうちにせいぜい休んでおこう。
It looks like overtime work ahead. For now I will do my utmost to relax.
この仕事だったらせいぜい三日もあればできる。
If it's this type of work, it can be done in about three days at the
outside.
この仕事の完成にせいぜい努力します。
I will exert my best in finishing this work.
あの婦人はせいぜい40歳だ。
The lady is forty years old at most.
ここから歩いてせいぜい10分のところです。
It is no more than ten minutes' walk from here.
この時計はせいぜい10ドルだ。
This watch costs ten dollar at most.
この辞書はせいぜい２万語くらいしか載っていない。
This dictionary contains not more than 20,000 words.
せいぜい20人しかそのパーティーには来ないだろう。
Only twenty people will come to the party at best.
せいぜい40%の高校生しか大学に進学しない。
Not more than 40 percent of students go on to university.
せいぜい自分の能力を活用しなさい。
You should make the most of your ability.
それはせいぜい二流のホテルだ。
It is at best a second-rate hotel.
彼はせいぜい二流の学者だ。
He is at best a second-rate scholar.
--- Comments ---
Note that せいぜい also has the meaning of 'at th emost.' For example,
せいぜい３日もあればできる would mean 'It can be done in about three days
at the very outside,' In this sense it has the meaning similar to たかだか.
(contributor: bamboo4)
'At the very outside'? I don't understand this translation. (contributor:
lupan)
'At the very outside' means 'at the worst'. maybe literally, 'on the
border of what might and might not happen'
-> さいていの場合、三日掛かる。 (contributor: dc)
hmm it would be 最長（さいちょう）instead of 最低（さいてい）.
最長⇔最短（さいたん）、最高（さいこう）⇔最低 (contributor: Miki)
You guys must mean 最悪の場合. You would not say さいていの場合、三日掛かる
but could say さいてい三日掛かる, which would mean 'takes the minimum of
three days.'The former says that it could be done in less than three days,
but the latter would say it takes three days or more. (contributor:
bamboo4)
I thought '最低' also means 'the worst'. We would use it like 'in the worst
case, we will miss the deadline by one day'. ie: you dont expect to, but...
(contributor: dc)
最低 can be 'the worst' but it also could mean 'minimum of' (contributor:
bamboo4)
Does anybody know where a good list of spoken versus writing style words
(as the case seems to be here, with takadaka and seizei) can be found?
(contributor: nks)
I don't think 'at the very outside' is correct English. I guess you mean
'at most'. (contributor: Gaijin demonai)
I guess 'at the very outside' is awkward, but I think 'at the outside'
should be acceptable. (contributor: bamboo4)
While I can't comment on any of the Japanese - 'at the outside' is very
informal in English. It refers to the expression 'an outside chance' (a
term from horseracing). So the first example would be better written: 'If
it's this type of work, there is an outside chance that it can be done in
about three days.' (contributor: andyclap)
I have been told by a native speaker that 'せいぜい' has a certain ironic
or sarcastic tinge to it. It is used in the context of saying that someone
'did their best', etc. in an ironic way, meaning it could have been done a
bit better. (contributor: somakevin)
--- View this entry online ---
http://www.jgram.org/pages/viewOne.php?tagE=seizei
To unsubscribe from this list visit
http://yookoso.com/phpList/?p=unsubscribe&uid=7d6adca25b7f78e7cb4eb0f506e9a587
To update your preferences visit
http://yookoso.com/phpList/?p=preferences&uid=7d6adca25b7f78e7cb4eb0f506e9a587
--
Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com --
No comments:
Post a Comment