[stem] + すぎ ます/です

It’s too easy.
a. やさしいすぎです。
b. やさしいもです。
c. やさしすぎます。
d. やさしもです。

The correct answer is c.

This “too” means “excessively” so the expression “[verb/adjective stem] + すぎ” has to be used. やさしい is an いadjective, so its stem is やさし, not やさしい. Thus the choice a. has to be eliminated.

If this “too” means “also (as in “me, too”),it is usually translated with the word も like わたしも but this is not the case here.

Connection

• [verb stem] + すぎます
• [いadj stem] + すぎます
• [なadj] + すぎます

Examples

きのうは のみすぎました。（←のみます）
I had too much drink yesterday.

いつも チョコレートを たべすぎます。（←たべます）
I always eat too much chocolate.

この チョコレートは あますぎます。（←あまい）
This chocolate is too sweet.

あのせんせいは きびしすぎました。（←きびしい）
That teacher was too strict.

ジョンさんは まじめすぎます。
John is too serious.

この もんだいは かんたん すぎます。
This question is too easy.

More Adjectives you can use in this pattern

あたらしい	いadj	new
うすい	いadj	thin, pale, sparce
おもい	いadj	heavy
かるい	いadj	light, non-serious, minor
きたない	いadj	dirty, messy
たかい	いadj	tall, high
たかい	いadj	expensive
つまらない	いadj	insignificant, boring
つめたい	いadj	cold (to the touch)
ながい	いadj	long
はやい	いadj	quick, fast
ひくい	いadj	short, low
ふるい	いadj	old (not person), aged, ancient
まるい	いadj	round, circular
みじかい	いadj	short (opposite of long)
やすい	いadj	cheap, inexpensive
よわい	いadj	weak, feeble
わるい	いadj	bad, inferior
いろいろ	なadj	various
じょうぶ	なadj	strong, solid, durable
たいせつ	なadj	important
べんり	なadj	convenient, handy

Suggested Activities

• Make a few sentences for each of the above adjectives.

If you are studying for JLPT N4/N5 level, I think you should stop reading this here.

For more Advanced Learners

Some very observant and advanced readers may now ask, what about the difference between a. すぎです and c. すぎます, so I will add a bit more.

In this case, やさしすぎです (as long as you got rid of い) and やさしすぎます are both OK and they don’t have much difference in their meaning.

However, すぎ in すぎです is a noun while すぎます is a verb, so that grammatical difference can bring some difference in the meaning if you are using a verb stem before ます.

For example, if I compare たべすぎます and たべすぎです, たべすぎます with the verb ending means “to eat excessively,” so you are talking about a person‘s* action while たべすぎです with です ending means “to be over-eating”, so you are talking about an occasion.

If I see my friend drinking a lot, I would say:
のみすぎですよ (it is an excessive drinking) but I won’t say のみすぎますよ as I am not sure how much more he/she can tolerate at this moment.

Similarly, if I have made an overstatement and if I want to apologize for it, I would say:
（わたしは）いいすぎました。ごめんなさい。
but if I am pointing out somebody else’s overstatement, I would say:
（それは）いいすぎですよ。
or
（それは）いいすぎだと おもいますよ。
because I’m talking about the overstatement, NOT about the person.

Now, I have been using the polite form so far but if I change these into the plain, they look VERY similar:

たべすぎた。（←たべすぎました）I ate too much.
たべすぎだ。（←たべすぎです）It is over-eating.

So remember:
～すぎた: talking about a person’s* past excessive action
～すぎだ: talking about a current occasion which seems excessive.

Foot Note

I said “a person‘s* action.” Precisely speaking, it should read “the subject’s action.” The subject can be an animal or a thing like trains but for the time being, I will leave it as “a person’s action.”