Breakdown of sore ha takasugiru to omoimasu.
Questions & Answers about sore ha takasugiru to omoimasu.
は is the topic marker.
- それ = that (thing)
- それは = as for that / that one, (speaking about it…)
So the sentence structure is:
- それは – as for that (price/thing)
- 高すぎる – is too expensive
- と思います – I think
In English we usually say "That is too expensive, I think."
In Japanese you first set それ as the topic with は, and then say what you think about it.
You could drop それは if it’s very clear from context what you’re talking about, and just say 高すぎると思います。
In this sentence, と is not the “and” meaning.
Here it is the quotative particle: it marks what is being thought or said.
Think of it as:
- 「高すぎる」と 思います。
→ I think *“it’s too expensive”*
So the structure is:
- A clause you think/say/feel, in plain form: 高すぎる
- と to mark that clause as a “quote”
- A verb like 思う (to think), 言う (to say), 感じる (to feel), etc.
English doesn’t show this “quotation marker” the same way, but Japanese does, even if there are no quotation marks written.
思う is the plain (dictionary) form.
思います is the polite -ます form.
- 高すぎると思います。 – polite
- 高すぎると思う。 – casual
Use 思います when:
- speaking to strangers, teachers, coworkers, customers, etc.
Use 思う with: - close friends, family, people below you in a hierarchy.
Grammatically, both mean “(I) think”; the difference is level of politeness.
You can say それは高すぎます, and it means:
- それは高すぎます。 – That is too expensive. (stated as a fact)
Adding と思います changes the nuance:
- それは高すぎると思います。 – I think that is too expensive.
In Japanese, using ～と思います is a politer, softer way of giving your opinion.
It sounds less direct and less confrontational, especially about price, taste, or disagreement.
So:
- それは高すぎます。 – more direct, sounds like stating a fact.
- それは高すぎると思います。 – softer, sounds like your personal opinion.
高い is an い-adjective: high / expensive.
When you attach すぎる (“to be too …”) to an い-adjective, you:
- Drop the final い
- Add すぎる
So:
- 高い → 高すぎる (too expensive / too high)
- おいしい → おいしすぎる (too delicious)
- 早い → 早すぎる (too early / too fast)
That’s why it’s 高すぎる, not 高いすぎる.
すぎる means “to be too (much)” or “to overdo”.
It attaches to adjectives and verbs.
With い-adjectives: drop い + すぎる
- 高い → 高すぎる (too expensive)
- 小さい → 小さすぎる (too small)
With な-adjectives: stem + すぎる
- 便利だ → 便利すぎる (too convenient / overly convenient)
- 静かだ → 静かすぎる (too quiet)
With verbs: ます-stem
- すぎる
- 食べます → 食べすぎる (to eat too much)
- 飲みます → 飲みすぎる (to drink too much)
In your sentence, 高すぎる literally means “to be too high/expensive”.
Inside the 「…と思います」 pattern, the part before と must be in plain form, not polite ます form.
So the pattern is:
- [plain form] + と + 思います
Examples:
- 高い と 思います。(I think it’s expensive.)
- 高すぎる と 思います。(I think it’s too expensive.)
- 行く と 思います。(I think (they) will go.)
- 便利だ と 思います。(I think it’s convenient.)
高すぎますと思います is ungrammatical because 高すぎます is polite form, not plain.
Japanese often omits the subject when it’s clear from context.
Here, 思います (I think) naturally implies “I” as the subject in most contexts, so you don’t need to say 私.
Full version would be:
- 私はそれは高すぎると思います。
But:
- 私は is often dropped (it’s obvious you are talking about your own opinion).
- Also, having both 私は and それは with は feels heavy, so normally you might just say:
- それは高すぎると思います。
- or even just 高すぎると思います。 if “that” is already clear.
No, それは高すぎるだと思います is incorrect.
With adjectives:
い-adjectives (like 高い / 高すぎる) do not take だ before と思います.
- Correct: 高すぎると思います。
- Incorrect: 高すぎるだと思います。
な-adjectives and nouns do usually take だ in plain form:
- 便利だと思います。(I think it’s convenient.)
- 先生だと思います。(I think (he/she) is a teacher.)
So:
- い-adjective
- と思います → 高いと思います / 高すぎると思います
- な-adjective / noun
- だと思います → 静かだと思います / 学生だと思います
- 高いと思います。 – I think it’s expensive.
- 高すぎると思います。 – I think it’s *too expensive.*
高い just states that the price is on the high side.
高すぎる adds the meaning “excessively / more than acceptable / beyond what it should be”.
So 高すぎると思います is stronger criticism of the price than 高いと思います.
Yes, grammatically you can, but the nuance changes:
- これ – this (near the speaker)
- それ – that (near the listener, or something just mentioned)
- あれ – that (over there, far from both, or emotionally distant)
For example, talking to a shop clerk while pointing at an item near them:
- それは高すぎると思います。
→ I think that (one near you) is too expensive.
If the item is in your hand, near you, you’d more naturally say:
- これは高すぎると思います。
If it’s something far away or previously mentioned and now “mentally distant”:
- あれは高すぎると思います。
Yes, 思います covers several English nuances depending on context and tone:
- I think …
- I believe …
- I suppose …
- I guess …
Japanese doesn’t strictly separate these as English does. 思う / 思います is a general verb for having an opinion or mental judgment.
So それは高すぎると思います could be translated as any of:
- I think that’s too expensive.
- I believe that’s too expensive.
- I’d say that’s too expensive.
No, that’s not natural Japanese word order.
The usual pattern is:
- The clause you think (plain form)
- と
- 思います
So: それは高すぎると思います。
You don’t split it like English “I think that, it’s too expensive.”
You also don’t normally front 思います by itself. Keep と思います together at the end.