Hello again my friends, I am once again asking for your genius incite onto the japanese language
I am just wondering how this sentence is meant to be translating
"貸し出しカウンターに持っていこうと顔を上げる” (Full sentence)
This seems to be pretty universally translated as:
“look up to take it to the lending counter”
and I was just wondering how the “to” is functioning in the situation? Because it feels a bit like “look up in order to take it to the lending counter”
Thanks in advance
This usage of と is the one in the Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar in the entry “と”. When there’s a clause that expresses volition or conjecture, a verb of saying/thinking/etc can be omitted, leaving the quotative とon its own to create an adverbial clause. So it’s basically the same meaning here as if it was 持っていこうと思って顔を上げる. You could translate it something like “Intending to take it to the lending counter, I look up.”
A few examples from the dictionary:
博物館は開いているかなと、電話してみた - Wondering if the museum is open, I called them.
テニスをしようと出かけたら、途中で雨が降ってきた - With the intention of playing tennis (lit. thinking that I will play tennis) I went out, but on my way it started to rain.
Check the dictionary for more explanation and examples if you own it - it’s a seven page entry on the subject.
Incidentally chatgpt makes a not too awful job of this one: I asked it for three draft translations (I always like to ask for three, it gives a better idea of the possibility space) and it suggested:
might I ask what page it may be on in the dictionary?
It starts on page 464.
thanks a bunch