There are so many JLPT grammar forms that you feel like they're never going to end.

Or at least, I remember feeling like that during the several years that I spent studying them.

It turns out that there are actually about 600, though. That seems like a crazy amount, but we'll be getting through all of them in just a little over two years of NDL's (almost halfway done!)

Anyway, this lesson is about saying that something is so blah blah blah that blah blah blah...

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JLPT N3: かと思うほど (so... that...)

思う (おもう) doesn't just mean "to think." Depending on the context in which this verb appears, it can mean all kinds of things.

A dictionary entry:

思う・想う（おもう）
(1) (想う has connotations of heart-felt) to think; to consider; to believe
(2) to think (of doing); to plan (to do)
(3) to judge; to assess; to regard
(4) to imagine; to suppose; to dream
(5) to expect; to look forward to
(6) to feel; to desire; to want
(7) to recall; to remember

Yikes. That's confusing. I would just start with learning that 思う means "to think" (like in this lesson: [NDL #615] - Basics: Saying "I think that..."), then pick up other nuances and meanings as you go.

In the grammatical form we're using today, 思う means something like "you would think" or "it seems," or in some cases just "think" or "thought."

Specifically, the pattern we'll use in this lesson is:

A かと思うほど B
so B that (you would think // it seemed // I thought) A

Note that B is not how something actually is. Rather, B is how something seems or feels, how you would think something is.

For example, in our first sentence, we have:

A = 骨が折れた（ほねがおれた // the bone broke）
B = 痛かった（いたかった // hurt; was painful）

↓ ↓

骨が折れたかと思うほど痛かった。
ほね　が　おれた　かとおもうほど　いたかった。
It hurt so bad that I thought the bone was broken.
Literally: “bone + が + broke / snapped + かと思うほど + was painful.”

↑ In reality, the bone was not broken.

If you've already read this other N3 lesson on ほど, [NDL #618] - JLPT N3: ほど (so... that), then understanding かと思うほど should be pretty straightforward.

That is, if you understand how ほど can be used to say "so... that...", then this grammatical construction should make sense.

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👷 Construction 👷

Just put a word in plain form directly before かと思うほど：

Plain Form ＋ かと思うほど

This includes putting NOUNS and na-adjectives just as they are (i.e. without adding の a NOUN or な after a na-adjective).

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このドラマは一生終わらないかと思うほど長い。
この　ドラマ　は　いっしょう　おわらない　かとおもうほど　ながい。
This series is so long that it feels like it’ll never end.
Literally: “this + (TV) drama + は + whole life + doesn’t end + かと思うほど + long.”
Note: More literally, "it feels like it'll never end in your/my entire life."

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プロのサッカー選手はボールが体の一部かと思うほど巧みにドリブルをこなす。
プロ　の　サッカーせんしゅ　は　ボール　が　からだ　の　いちぶ　かとおもうほど　たくみ　に　ドリブル　を　こなす。
Pro soccer players can dribble the ball so well that you would think it's a part of their body.
Literally: “pro + の + soccer + player + は + ball + が + body + の + one part / a part + かと思うほど + skillfully + dribble + を + are good at / have a good command of.”

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その動物園のトラはとても人懐こく、子猫かと思うほどだった。
その　どうぶえん　の　トラ　は　とても　ひとなつこく、　こねこ　かとおもうほど　だった。
The tiger at that zoo was so friendly, (that) it was like a kitten.
Literally: “that + zoo + の + tiger + は + very + friendly (to people) (and), + kitten + かと思うほど + だった.”

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That's all for this one.