Basic だけ = only (野菜だけ食べる = only eat vegetables). But starting at N3, you'll encounter a trickier pattern: Verb + だけ + Verb, where だけ doesn't translate as "only" at all -- it means "as much as possible within a limit."
Core Pattern: V(potential/たい) + だけ + V
だけ sits between two verbs. The first verb defines the limit, the second verb is the action:
| Pattern | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vたいだけ + V | Do as much as you want |
| VれるだけV | Do as much as you can |
たいだけ = As Much As You Want
The first verb uses たい to set a "desire" limit:
-
食べたいだけ食べてください。 → Please eat as much as you want.
-
彼は言いたいだけ言って、ここを去っていった。 → He said everything he wanted to say, then left.
「遠慮せずに食べたいだけ食べて」= "Don't hold back -- eat as much as you want." This was the exact scenario from the lesson.
れるだけ = As Much As You Can
The first verb uses the potential form to set an "ability" limit:
-
やれるだけすべてやってしまった。あとは神様に任せるばかりだ。 → I did everything I could. The rest is up to God.
-
走れるだけ走った。 → I ran as far as I could.
-
できるだけ早く来てください。 → Please come as early as possible.
できるだけ is actually a special case of this pattern -- できる (can do) + だけ = within what's possible = as much as possible.
Why Doesn't It Mean "Only"?
Basic だけ limits a range ("only these things"). Advanced だけ also limits a range, but limits the extent of an action:
| Basic | Advanced |
|---|---|
| 野菜だけ食べる = eat only vegetables | 食べたいだけ食べる = eat as much as you want |
| Limits the object | Limits the degree/extent |
"Ate within the range of what I wanted to eat" -- だけ limits the "wanting to eat" range, not a specific thing. That's why it can't be translated as "only," but the underlying logic is the same.
Common Combinations
| Japanese | English | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 食べたいだけ食べる | Eat as much as you want | Hosting, buffets |
| 言いたいだけ言う | Say whatever you want | Venting, complaints |
| やれるだけやる | Do everything you can | Giving your all |
| 走れるだけ走る | Run as far as you can | Escaping, exercise |
| できるだけ早く | As early as possible | Requests, appointments |
| 泣きたいだけ泣く | Cry as much as you need | Comforting someone |
だけ Can Be Followed by Particles
だけ can take additional particles after it for more complex expressions:
| Combination | Example |
|---|---|
| だけの | やれるだけのことはやった (I did everything I could) |
| だけで | 見ただけでわかった (I understood just by looking) |
Practice
Q1. Translate: 「泣きたいだけ泣いていいよ。」
Show Answer
"It's okay to cry as much as you need." たいだけ = as much as you want to. 泣きたいだけ泣く = cry as much as you need to cry.
Q2. In 「やれるだけすべてやった」, does だけ mean "only"?
Show Answer
No. Here だけ limits the range/extent -- "within what I was able to do." The translation is "I did everything I could," not "I only did what I could."
Q3. What pattern is できるだけ a special case of?
Show Answer
It's a special case of V(potential) + だけ. できる (can do) + だけ = within what's possible = as much as possible.
Summary
- たいだけ V = do as much as you want
- れるだけ V = do as much as you can
- だけ limits the extent/degree of an action, not the object
- できるだけ is the most common special case of this pattern
- High-frequency N3 test point, especially in cloze questions