This topic contains 9 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
So I’ve seen this grammar point so many times but I just got frustrated and got disappointed every time I saw it. But now it finally occurred to me to actually look it up on Google.
I could explain it, but its already explained here:
http://members.fortunecity.com/kwhazit/ranma/g_verb.html#volhor
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/try.html#part3Now I feel so mentally relieved (and dumb because it was just right there on Tae Kim)
「いつも日本語をなるべく読もうとしている。だから、こうやってipodとかパソコンとか本でもすべて日本語に変わったってこと。なのに、まだ初心者だけどね」
Haha, this bugged me for a while too. Although I only learned the ようにする way to say it. Thanks for the tip missing.
おかげで、日本語がだんだんよくなっている。
I see Danny Choo use it a bunch of times on his site if you turn it into Japanese
Rikaichan told me what it means around the time I first encountered it and hovered over it with the mouse cursor :p
And for how long are you going to keep calling yourself ‘just a beginner’? :p Your grammar and understanding is certainly beyond the beginner level and I doubt you’d have any problems getting through intermediate level textbooks.
Well because it’s true. I am a beginner.
So what are the differences between「volitional + とする」、「～てみる」and「ようにする」? Are they all just ways to say the same thing?
@Elenkis: He began long ago, so he’s either an idiot or he just likes making people feel bad about themselves (“Well if HE’S a beginner, wtf am I then?! :( ). Best just to leave him in his own little, AK47-filled world ;)
So what are the differences between「volitional + とする」、「～てみる」and「ようにする」? Are they all just ways to say the same thing?
—————————————————————–Making an effort (-ou to suru)
Add とする (to suru) to a volitional form verb and conjugate する (suru) as appropriate.
This is trying in the sense of making an effort to do something. For trying in the sense of experimentation to see what happens, see ～てみる (-te miru). There’s also a clause-ending ようにする (you ni suru) that has essentially the same meaning as [volitional]とする.
「毎朝７時までに起きようとしている。」 (Maiasa shichiji made ni okiyou to shite iru.) = “I try to get up by 7 every morning.”
http://members.fortunecity.com/kwhazit/ranma/g_verb.html#volhor
「～てみる」 means that you’re trying something out to see what it’s like, while 「volitional + とする」 just means that you’re trying to do something, you’ve decided to put the effort into attempting it.
It’s like the difference between “I’m going to try drinking sake (and see what what it’s like)” and “I’m going to try to finish my homework tonight”.
Also past tense 「volitional + とした」 says that you tried to do something but implies that the attempt was a failure.
I’ve read that 「ようにする」 can have a more sustained nuance. It’s something you’re going to try to do, and then keep on doing over time/more than once. But I’m not entirely sure.
Well I just moused-over とする which told me what it was. I assumed that link was just going to say the same thing, so I didn’t bother looking at it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing isn’t it.
I was studying from one of my textbooks last night and came across the following which I thought I’d add:
“V-plain.non-past ようにする indicates one’s conscious effort to do something for some purpose. Here, one makes an effort at every opportunity to do something to the degree that he or she can, but sometimes fails. Thus, ようにする is often used for habitual actions. Note that this phrase differs from Vことにする, which indicates one’s decision to do something and the action can be either a single or a habitual one.”
-from 日本語上級へのとびら
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.