Meaning and Usage
"膨らます" means to make something swell, expand, or inflate. It is often used for physical objects like balloons or dough, but also metaphorically for stories or plans that are exaggerated or expanded.
Common Contexts
- Inflating objects such as balloons or tires.
- Making dough rise in cooking.
- Exaggerating or expanding stories or ideas to make them more interesting or impressive.
Collocations and Patterns
- 風船を膨らます (inflate a balloon): literal inflation.
- 話を膨らます (exaggerate a story): metaphorical expansion.
- 生地を膨らます (make dough rise): cooking context.
Register and Nuance
This verb is neutral and can be used in both casual and formal contexts. When used metaphorically, it often implies adding extra detail or exaggeration, sometimes with a playful or critical nuance.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 膨らます with 膨らむ, which is the intransitive form meaning "to swell" or "to expand" by itself. Remember, 膨らます is transitive and requires an object that is being inflated or expanded.