Meaning & usage
滅多に means seldom or hardly ever and always pairs with a negative verb, such as 行かない or 降らない. Place 滅多に before the verb phrase, and make the verb itself negative through ない, なかった, or ません. The negative verb does not have to end the sentence and can be followed by other endings or clauses. Avoid pairing it with negative i-adjectives, since the pattern describes rare actions or events rather than states.
Example sentences 5
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彼の機嫌がいいことなど滅多にない。
He is rarely in a good mood.
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彼は本当に嫌いな事は滅多にやらない。
He seldom does anything he really hates to do.
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彼は滅多に教会に行かない。
He seldom goes to church.
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当地では滅多に雪が降らない。
We seldom have snow here.
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フランス語の本は滅多に読まないよ。
I seldom read books in French.
