JLPT N2 grammar

〜どころかmeaning and usage

Meaning

To say nothing of A; far from A; much less A; let alone A

How to form it

  • verb (plain form)/い-adjectiveどころか
  • nounどころか
  • な-adjective (stem)（な）どころか

How it is used

Two uses: 'let alone A', where the second half often has 「さえ」 or 「も」 (not even the more basic B); and 'far from A, quite the opposite', overturning an expectation: 「楽になるどころか、忙しくなった」.

Examples

  1. お金がないので映画館に行くどころかバスさえ乗れません。

    I don't have any money, so I can't even ride the bus, let alone go to see a movie.

  2. 雨はやむどころか、ますます強くなってきた。

    Far from stopping, the rain only got heavier.

  3. 忙しくて、旅行どころか週末に休むこともできない。

    I'm so busy I can't even rest on weekends, let alone go on a trip.