Volitional
Production Rules:
|
Rule |
Meaning |
Plain Affirmative |
[お-stem] [o-stem] |
I/we will [do]; I/we intend to do; Let's [do] |
Polite Affirmative |
[い-stem] + ましょう [i-stem] + mashou |
Plain Negative |
Ichidan: [root] + まい [root] + mai
Godan: [う-stem] + まい [u-stem] + mai |
I will not [do]; I do not intend to [do] |
Polite Negative |
[い-stem] + ますまい [i-stem] + masumai |
Inflection Examples:
|
Plain Affirmative |
Polite Affirmative |
Plain Negative |
Polite Negative |
食べる taberu (to eat) |
食べよう tabeyou | 食べましょう tabemashou |
食べまい tabemai | 食べますまい tabemasumai |
話す hanasu (to speak) |
話そう hanasou | 話しましょう hanashimashou |
話すまい hanasumai | 話しますまい hanashimasumai |
歩く aruku (to walk) |
歩こう arukou | 歩きましょう arukimashou |
歩くまい arukumai | 歩きますまい arukimasumai |
泳ぐ oyogu (to swim) |
泳ごう oyogou | 泳ぎましょう oyogimashou |
泳ぐまい oyogumai | 泳ぎますまい oyogimasumai |
呼ぶ yobu (to call) |
呼ぼう yobou | 呼びましょう yobimashou |
呼ぶまい yobumai | 呼びますまい yobimasumai |
飲む nomu (to drink) |
飲もう nomou | 飲みましょう nomimashou |
飲むまい nomumai | 飲みますまい nomimasumai |
死ぬ shinu (to die) |
死のう shinou | 死にましょう shinimashou |
死ぬまい shinumai | 死にますまい shinimasumai |
作る tsukuru (to make) |
作ろう tsukurou | 作りましょう tsukurimashou |
作るまい tsukurumai | 作りますまい tsukurimasumai |
待つ matsu (to wait) |
待とう matou | 待ちましょう machimashou |
待つまい matsumai | 待ちますまい machimasumai |
洗う arau (to wash) |
洗おう araou | 洗いましょう araimashou |
洗うまい araumai | 洗いますまい araimasumai |
Irregulars:
|
Plain Affirmative |
Polite Affirmative |
Plain Negative |
Polite Negative |
する suru (to do) |
しよう shiyou |
しましょう shimashou |
するまい surumai |
しますまい shimasumai |
来る kuru (to come) |
来よう koyou |
来ましょう kimashou |
くるまい kurumai |
来ますまい kimasumai |
Usage Notes & Examples:
- The plain affirmative of this form is used to indicate that the
speaker intends to do something. Note that in a polite context this
would be expressed using the polite form of the nonpast indicative.
Strong desires or volitions are usually not expressed directly in a
polite context, but are softened in a number of different ways.
- お昼は? お寿司食べよう。
o-hiru wa? o-sushi tabeyou.
Lunch? I'm going to eat sushi.
- The polite affirmative
of this form expressed as a statement is used as an inclusive
suggestion of the form usually expressed by "let's..." in English.
- 映画に行きましょう。
eiga ni ikimashou.
Let's go to the movies.
- Similar to above, the plain and polite affirmative expressed as a
question is a softer form of the suggestion, similar to "shall we...?"
in English.
- お医者さんに聞こうか。
o-isha-san ni kikou ka.
Shall we ask the physician?
- バスはあまり来ないのでタクシーで
行きましょうか。
basu wa amari konai no de takushii de
ikimashou ka.
The bus doesn't come often so shall we go by taxi?
- The negative forms of the volitional are relatively rare.
They can convey a very strong intention not to do something, or
intention to not let something happen, and therefore there would often be
some emotion involved in the situation. Thus, the place you will see this
the most is in literary or dramatic contexts.
- よし、この男にだけは負けるまい。
yoshi, kono otoko ni dake wa makerumai.
Alright, I absolutely will not lose to this guy at least.
- The negative is used in the pattern "[plain volitional] to [negative volitional]
to ..." meaning regardless of whether or not the action of the verb takes place. There
is some implied frustration, anger, impatience, etc. in this pattern: the speaker no
longer cares whether the cited action occurs or not.
- プロジェクトが成功しようと成功するまいと、彼は首にする。
purojekuto ga seikou shiyou to seikou surumai to, kare wa kubi ni suru.
Regardless of whether the project succeeds or not, I'm firing him.
- Although these volitional forms were once used presumptively (i.e. with a meaning of
"probably [does]"), the use of what's called the volitional here
is outmoded as a presumptive in modern Japanese. For that meaning, use the
presumptive form and past
presumptive form.
- There is a past tense of this form which, rather than being a volitional meaning,
is an outmoded past presumptive (i.e. with a meaning of
"probably [did]"). It can be formed by taking
the past indicative form and adding -ろう (-rou) directly to it. For example, for
呼ぶ (yobu, to call), the conjugation would be
呼んだろう (yondarou), 呼びましたろう (yobimashitarou),
呼ばなかったろう (yobanakattarou), 呼びませんでしたろう
(yobimasen deshitarou). While the form exists and you might run across it in drama
or literature, it is not used in modern Japanese and you can basically just forget it.
Expressions
-ou to suru
-ou to shita
Copyright © 2010-2011 Collin McCulley. All Rights Reserved.
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