あまり〜ない

あまり + a negative means "not very …" — a soft way to negate, used all the time in everyday conversation.

Iron rule: あまり (in this meaning) must be followed by a negative form — ません, 〜くないです, じゃありません. Saying あまり食べます is wrong.

For an outright strong negation, "not at all," use ぜんぜん〜ない.

Examples

• テレビはあまり見(み)ません。

  I don't watch TV much.

• この料理(りょうり)はあまり辛(から)くないです。

  This dish isn't very spicy.

• 朝(あさ)はあまり食(た)べません。

  I don't eat much in the morning.

Related patterns

• ぜんぜん〜ない