◉The difference between [ごろ] and [いっぱい]
When I am teaching in the basic course, my students asked me this question frequently.
Let me share this question and answer it here today!
【What is the Difference Between "Goro" and "Gurai”?】
Both “goro” （ごろ) and “gurai”（ぐらい）are used to express approximation.
Those two words are translated to "about," "around," or "approximately," but they are used in different ways.
“Goro” is only used for describing an approximation of a specific point in time.
[For example]
★Sanji goro uchi ni kaerimasu.
（３時ごろうちに帰ります。I will come home around three o'clock.）
★Rainen no sangatsu goro nchon ni ikimasu.
（来年の４月ごろ日本に行きます。I am going to Japan around April next year.）
Whereas, “Gurai” is used for an approximate time period or quantity.
[For example]
★Ichi-jikan gurai machimashita.
（１時間ぐらい待ちました。I waited for about an hour.）
★Kono kutsu wa nisen en gurai deshita.
（この靴は2000円ぐらいでした。These shoes were about 2,000 yen.）
Let’s look at the following conversation
(They are talking about tomorrow’s schedule )
A: あしたの コンサート、楽しみですね！(I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s concert, aren’t you?)
B: ええ (Yes!)
A: コンサートは ７時に はじまりますが、何時ごろ 行きますか。
(The concert begins at 7 o’clock, what time shall we go?)
B: そうですね １時間ぐらい かかりますから、５時半ごろ 行きましょう！
(Let me see… It will take about 1 hour from here, so let’s go around 5:30pm.)
A: わかりました (Alright!)
Let's now sum up what I introduced above
We've seen that “goro” is used when we talk about a specific moment in time, such as an hour, day, week, month, or even a year.（５時ごろ、来週ごろ、８月ごろ、2000年ごろ etc.）
On the other hand, “gurai” is used when we talk about an amount, such as a duration, distance, weight, or length.
（５分ぐらい、２時間ぐらい、100メートルぐらい、３キロぐらい etc.）
I hope you understand the differences and make this distinction clear now
Miu Tomo Japanese Language School
