Pretending and trying
Conjugations, Stage 3chunk 2 of 5Grammar patterns
Talk about pretending, attempts that got cut off, and what you won't do.
- -furi o surupretend to; act as if
- -ou to surutry to; be about to
- -ki wa naihave no intention of; don't feel like
- -te gorantry doing (said to a child or junior)
Mix-ups -ou to suru (tried, was about to) vs -te goran and -te miru (try it and see).
-furi o suru
pretend to; act as if
Speech often drops the o: 'shiranai furi suru'.
Make it plain form + furi o suru; noun + no furi; na-adjective + na furi
Polite -furi o shimasu
Also written フリ. The everyday ones are 'shiranai furi' (playing dumb) and 'neta furi' (pretending to sleep).
kanojo, kikoenai furi shiteta yo
She was pretending not to hear.
彼女、聞こえないふりしてたよ
kanojo wa kikoenai furi o shite imashita
She was pretending not to hear.
彼女は聞こえないふりをしていました
Rank #3947 in 3,030 TV dramas
-ou to suru
try to; be about to
Mostly past, -ou to shita, for an attempt that failed or got interrupted: 'I was just about to'.
Make it volitional form (-ou / -you) + to suru
Polite -ou to shimasu
Compare -te miru (try it and see) and -ou to omou (plan to). Negative: 'kikou to shinai' (won't even listen).
neyou to shitara, tomodachi kara denwa ga kita
Just as I was going to sleep, a friend called.
寝ようとしたら、友達から電話が来た
neyou to shitara, tomodachi kara denwa ga kimashita
Just as I was about to go to sleep, a friend called.
寝ようとしたら、友達から電話が来ました
Rank #1815 in 3,030 TV dramas
-ki wa nai
have no intention of; don't feel like
A firm 'I'm not going to'.
Make it dictionary form + ki wa nai
Polite -ki wa arimasen
The positive is -ki ga aru (be willing): 'yaru ki aru?' (are you up for it?). 'yaru ki' alone means motivation.
mou ano mise ni iku ki wa nai yo
I've got no intention of going to that place again.
もうあの店に行く気はないよ
mou ano mise ni iku ki wa arimasen
I have no intention of going to that shop again.
もうあの店に行く気はありません
Rank #2757 in 3,030 TV dramas
-te goran
try doing (said to a child or junior)
A gentle 'go on, try it' from parents, teachers or seniors.
Make it -te form + goran
Never use it upward; to equals say -te mite. 'goran kudasai' is the polite 'please look' in shops and announcements.
chotto tabete goran, oishii yo
Go on, have a taste, it's good.
ちょっと食べてごらん、おいしいよ
Rank #3098 in 3,030 TV dramas