一体（いったい） (ittai)
一体 — what on earth ～ (emphasizing a question)
Pattern
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一体＋疑問詞（何・誰・どう など）一体 + question word
Meaning and use
It adds a strong feeling of 'I want to know' or 'I can't make sense of this' to a normal question. It appears with a question word: 一体何が起きたのか, 一体どうして.
Notes
Because it is emotionally strong, it may feel too pushy for polite questions to superiors. 一体全体 is even stronger. It also exists as a noun meaning 'the whole body,' but here it intensifies the question.
Examples
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一体（いったい）何（なに）が起（お）きたのですか。
Ittai nani ga okita no desu ka.
What on earth happened?
-
こんな時間（じかん）に、一体（いったい）誰（だれ）が来（き）たのだろう。
Konna jikan ni, ittai dare ga kita no darō.
Who on earth could have come at this hour?
-
あなたは一体（いったい）何（なに）が言（い）いたいのですか。
Anata wa ittai nani ga iitai no desu ka.
What on earth are you trying to say?
Common mistakes
- It normally needs a question word. 一体行きますか is unnatural.
- It carries strong emotion, so take care when speaking to superiors.
More grammar points
- ばよかった ～ばよかった — I should have ～, if only I had ～
- ばかりで ～ばかりで — only ～ (and nothing else, with a negative feeling)
- ばかりでなく ～ばかりでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけでなく ～だけでなく — not only ～ but also ～
- だけど だけど — but, however (casual)
- ふりをする ～ふりをする — pretending to ～
- 一方（いっぽう）だ ～一方だ — keeps ～ing in one direction
- じゃない ～じゃない — isn't it ～! (surprise or confirmation)
- か何（なに）か ～か何か — ～ or something
- 代（か）わりに ～代わりに — instead of ～, in return for ～
- 結局（けっきょく） 結局 — in the end, after all
- きり ～きり — only ～; ever since ～
- っけ ～っけ — was it ～? (recalling)
- ことになっている ～ことになっている — it is the rule or plan that ～
- ことは～が ～ことは～が — it is true that ～, but ～
- くせに ～くせに — even though ～ (with reproach)
- も～ば～も A も ～ば B も ～ — both A and B
- むしろ むしろ — rather, if anything
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