45250
In the sentence: 一度にケーキを全部は、とても食べられない。

I am confused about the function and placement of 「一度」. Also, the object is
the 'cake' because of the particle を, but why is it followed by 全部 as the
subject?

I know the meaning of the sentence is: "I can't possibly eat the entire cake
all at once." But maybe I would have constructed it this way: ケーキは全部とても食べられない。

What is wrong with my sentence? Please clarify.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-04T16:56:09.993
45231
2017-04-05T07:47:44.470
11033
question
potential-form
function of 一度 in the following sentence
First, 全部 is an adverb here. Quantities and numbers are often expressed
adverbially in Japanese, and it usually comes after the noun (see
[this](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/17832/5010)). Second, using は
after 全部/全員/すべて/etc in a negative sentence has an important role; it
distinguishes _no_ and _not all_.

>   * 全員が来なかった。 No one came.
>   * 全員 **は** 来なかった。 Not everyone came (although some came).
>   * その本の全部を読まなかった。(†) I read nothing of the book.
>   * その本の全部 **は** 読まなかった。 I did not read all of the book. (I read only
> partly)
>   * すべて正しくない。 Nothing is correct.
>   * すべて正しく **は** ない。 Not everything is correct (although they are mostly
> correct).
>

>
> † その本はまったく読まなかった (using an adverb) is usually common and better

Note that in the examples above, 全員 is used as a subject, 全部 is used as a
(pro)noun, すべて is used as an adverb. I think this type of は should be seen as
a _contrast_ marker, not a _topic_ marker.

And this also means your attempt, ケーキは全部とても食べられない, is likely to mean "I can
never eat any cake", which is totally different.

一度に here means "at one time". It is another very common adverb and it modifies
食べる. 一度に and 全部 are often used together ("all at once"). The following four
sentences mean the same thing.

>   * 一度にそのケーキを全部はとても食べられない。
>   * そのケーキを一度に全部はとても食べられない。
>   * そのケーキを全部一度にはとても食べられない。
>   * 一度に全部は、そのケーキをとても食べられない。 (unusual, emphatic word order)
>
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-05T03:17:54.250
45250
2017-04-05T03:32:05.477
2017-04-13T12:43:44.863
-1
5010
45231
answer