Learn Hardcore Japanese: kare ha sippai wo amari sinpaisinai you da ga, zitu ha yoku zyunbisite iru. - He seems not to worry much about failure, but in fact he prepares well.

ようだ marks the speaker’s inference: “it seems/appears (that) ….” It suggests the speaker has some basis (observation, context, indirect info) but isn’t stating a hard fact. It’s softer than a plain statement and more neutral/formal than みたいだ.

Here: 心配しないようだ = “he seems not to worry (much).”

Why is あまり used with a negative? Does it mean “too much”?

With a negative, あまり means “not very/not much.”

あまり心配しない = “doesn’t worry much.”

If you want “too much,” use あまりに/あまりにも or more naturally 〜しすぎる:

心配しすぎる = “worry too much.”

Why is it 失敗を心配する with を? Could I say 失敗が心配だ?

Both patterns exist, but they pair with different predicates:

Verb pattern: Xを心配する (worry about X). Example: 失敗を心配する.
Adjectival/nominal pattern: Xが心配だ (X is a concern). Example: 失敗が心配だ.

Don’t mix them (×Xを心配だ, ×Xが心配する).

Why use the noun 失敗 instead of 失敗すること?

Both are fine, with a slight nuance:

失敗を心配する: concise, treats “failure” as a thing.
失敗することを心配する: emphasizes the act/event of failing.

Meaning is essentially the same here; the shorter form is more natural.

What’s the difference between 心配しないようだ and 心配していないようだ?

心配しないようだ: general tendency/characteristic (“he seems to be the kind of person who doesn’t worry much”).
心配していないようだ: current state (“he seems not to be worrying right now”).

Context decides which is intended.

Is だが the same が as the subject marker?

Here だが is the conjunction “but/however,” not the subject marker. Register-wise:

だが: more written/formal.
が (as a connector) and けど/けれど(も): everyday speech.
Polite: ですが.

In this sentence it contrasts the two halves: “He seems not to worry much, but actually ….”

What does 実は do, and why does it have は?

実は is a set phrase meaning “actually/in fact,” used to introduce background, a correction, or unexpected info. The は is historically the topic marker inside the fixed expression. It’s usually followed by a comma:

実は、よく準備している。

Does よく mean “often” or “well” here?

よく can mean either “often/frequently” or “well/skillfully.” Both readings are possible:

“He actually prepares often (a lot).”
“He’s actually well prepared.”

To disambiguate:

Often: 頻繁に/たびたび/よく
- 準備する.
Well/thoroughly: しっかり/ちゃんと/入念に準備する, or “be ready”: 準備ができている.

Why 準備している instead of just 準備する?

Vている can express:

an ongoing action,
a resultant state, or
a habitual action.

Here it can be habitual (“he regularly prepares”) or resultant (“he is in a prepared state”). Compare:

よく準備する: unambiguously habitual.
よく準備している: habitual or “is (well) prepared” now, depending on context.

Can I drop 彼? Is using 彼 natural?

Yes, you can omit it if the referent is clear:

（彼は）失敗をあまり心配しないようだが、実はよく準備している。

Using 彼 is fine, but in real conversation Japanese more often uses names, titles, or just omits the subject when obvious.

Is the placement of あまり okay? Could I say あまり失敗を心配しない?

Both are acceptable:

失敗をあまり心配しない
あまり失敗を心配しない

There’s no big meaning change; the first keeps the object next to the verb, the second slightly foregrounds “not much.”

How would I make the whole sentence polite?

Polite version:

彼は失敗をあまり心配しないようですが、実はよく準備しています。

You can also soften the inference:

…心配しないようですね。

How is ようだ different from みたいだ and そうだ?

ようだ: inference/analogy; neutral–formal.
みたいだ: colloquial counterpart of ようだ.
そうだ has two types:
- Hearsay: clause + そうだ → 心配しないそうだ (“I hear he doesn’t worry”).
- Appearance: stem + そう → 心配しなさそうだ (“he looks like he won’t worry”), based on visible cues.

What’s the difference between 準備している, 準備してある, and 準備ができている?

準備している: someone is preparing / has the habit of preparing / is in a prepared state (context decides).
準備してある: something has been prepared (by someone) and is left ready; typically for inanimate setups. Example: 資料はもう準備してあります.
準備ができている: “be ready/prepared” (resultant state). Example: 彼はもう準備ができている.