Well, that’s easy:
行こうと思わない = lack of intent to go
行かないと思う = specific intent to not go
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This was really helpful. It’s something I’ve never even thought to look into, but I’m sure I’ve used some ではなければs in speech before (rarely, but I feel like it’s probably happened) and know to avoid them now.
At least it seems like it’s understandable; just unnatural.
When you use the volitional, you are expressing your own desire.
行こうと思わない directly says you have no will of going.
It actually sounds a bit strong, so while you could use it with a third person talking about an invitation you got but you have no interest in, most people would consider it rude directly answering 行こうと思わない to an invitation.
行かないと思う, on the other hand, is way more neutral. You just think the most likely outcome is you not going, the reason being anything. Schedule overlap, lack of money, no interest… You can use it together with the reasons for not going, too.
And for the exact same reason, 行かないと思う is a lot more related with what will actually happen than 行こうと思わない.
You could say 行こうと思わないけど、行くしかない。 I don’t wanna go, but I have no choice.
But 行かないと思うけど、行くしかない is non-sense, because the first sentence clearly states i’ts unlikely you will go.
Searched the internet a bit and found a nice example:
いつも混んで超並んでるから 行こうと思わないけど人気無くなって空いてきたら行ってみるかな。
It’s always so crowded I don’t feel like going. But once it becomes less popular, I might give it a try.
If you wanted to say the same sentence with 行かないと思う the only reasonable way of doing so would be adding a time expression, to make it clear that 行かないと思う refers to a specific moment and not the final outcome.
いつも混んでるからしばらく行かないと思うけど、空いてきたら行ってみるかな。
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Quick question about an example sentence I just ran across:
他人よりも自分がずっと短足だと気づいた時、彼は深々と嘆息して、日本短足協会へと向かった。
I haven’t seen へと before, at least not in the way it’s used here. The と seems out of place. How is this different from simply using へ by itself here?
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As far as I understand it, adding と creates and emphasis that makes the distance seem longer, more meandering, or more arduous.
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Could someone confirm or amend my translation of this sentence, please?
まあ, たまには悪くない
“Just occasionally this wouldn’t be bad”
There’s not much context, it’s a caption in an art book of a picture of two people hugging labelled 温まる
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I think I’d go with something more like “Well, this isn’t bad once in a while”.
Which is to say, it’s “it’s not bad (to do something) sometimes” rather than “it’s sometimes not bad (to do something)”… hopefully that distinction is understandable.
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Cool, I think I get it, thank you. It makes sense with the character that’s saying it.
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Could anyone help me out with this WK example sentence?
遠足には、各自お弁当とお菓子、水筒を持参してください。
You need to bring your own bento box, snacks, and water bottle for the school trip.
I don’t understand why there is no particle after 各自.
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It looks like 各自 is acting adverbially (on 持参する), so no particle should be necessary. That’s my take anyway.
It’s true that it’s an adverbial noun.
みんな seems to similarly not need a particle in that kind of usage.
Interesting - I wasn’t aware of the concept of adverbial nouns before. The sentence sounds strange to me, but I guess that’s something I’ll just have to get used to.
Thanks guys!
I’m reviewing grammar points and writing my own sentences to practice them.
Could someone please let me know if the following says what I want it to say and/or uses these grammar points correctly? (~ながら・～ところです・～までに）
歌いながら家を掃除した。ちょうど終わったところ、掃除機が爆発してしまった。
主人が帰って来るまでに又かたづけられるかしら。
Aiming to say: I was singing as I cleaned the house. Just as I finished, the vacuum cleaner exploded.
I wonder if I can get it cleaned up again before my husband gets home.
Also, I wrote this sentence for ～より
家を掃除するより友達と話すのが好きです。
Then I realised maybe it would be better
家を掃除するより友達と話すほうが好きです。
Are both of these grammatically correct?
Thanks in advance!
Why is it 君の名は and not just 君の名?
Adding the は (topic particle) makes it the start of a sentence – and thus the start of a thought – rather than just a thing.
Sort of like “About Your Name…” versus just “Your Name”. (Even though they translated it as just “Your Name” in the English title).
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And, relevantly, it makes it sound like a question where it wouldn’t really without.
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That’s how I always thought of it. Even before seeing the movie, it just felt natural to read it as a question.
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Aye. I was taught that お名前は with a rising inflection is sufficient to ask someone’s name, while お名前は何ですか just sounds too confrontational, like a police interrogation. So, despite the English translation, 君の名は = What is your name?
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Is 「ここでいい？」correct for “Is here fine?”
I’m watching Terrace House: Aloha State, and the guy understood her, but from BunPro, I get the idea she should’ve used 「が」?
Is 「ここでいい？」correct for “Is here fine?”
I’m watching Terrace House: Aloha State, and the guy understood her, but from BunPro, I get the idea she should’ve used 「が」?
Yep!
I can see what you’re saying, because in English you have “Is here fine?,” where “here” sort of seems like it’s the subject (and in Japanese, grammatical subjects are marked with が). But in this case, as is often the case with Japanese, the logic isn’t quite the same as English and there’s contextual information. It’s more like saying “Is (it) fine here?,” with the actual subject being omitted.
((これは)ここでいい？)
In addition to this, trailing with は in Japanese can also have the implication of asking a question (“What is/what was…?”), if you inflect it like one.
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