～ほど (degree)
To such an extent that...
You’ll be able to describe the degree of a state or action by showing how far its effect reaches.
歩けないほど、足が疲れました。
arukenai hodo, ashi ga tsukaremashita.
What do you think this sentence means?
My legs were so tired that I could not walk.
Show degree with an extreme result
～ほど means “to the extent that” or “so... that.” It presents a concrete result or example as a measure of how strong a state is.
涙が出るほど、笑いました。
namida ga deru hodo, waraimashita.
I laughed so hard that tears came out.
目が回るほど忙しかったです。
me ga mawaru hodo isogashikatta desu.
I was so busy that my head was spinning.
Put the degree before ほど
Use a plain clause before ほど, then state the degree or result. The clause before ほど often shows an extreme consequence that makes the degree easy to imagine.
声が聞こえないほど、外はうるさかったです。
koe ga kikoenai hodo, soto wa urusakatta desu.
It was so noisy outside that I could not hear voices.
今朝の電車は、息ができないほど混んでいました。
kesa no densha wa, iki ga dekinai hodo konde imashita.
This morning’s train was so crowded I could hardly breathe.
昨日の地震は、棚の本が全部落ちるほど強かった。
kinou no jishin wa, tana no hon ga zenbu ochiru hodo tsuyokatta.
Yesterday’s earthquake was so strong that all the books fell off the shelves.
夜も眠れないほど歯が痛くて、朝一番に歯医者に行きました。
yoru mo nemurenai hodo ha ga itakute, asa ichiban ni haisha ni ikimashita.
My tooth hurt so much I couldn’t sleep at night, so I went to the dentist first thing in the morning.
7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.