Guide to Japanese

Advanced Volitional

We learned in a previous lesson that the volitional form is used when one is set out to do something. In this section, we’re going to cover some other ways in which the volitional form is used, most notably, the negative volitional form.

Negative Volitional

Vocabulary

見る(み・る) ru-verb
to see
行く(い・く) u-verb
to go
する exception
to do
来る(く・る) exception
to come
なる u-verb
to become
相手(あい・て)
other party
剣(けん)
sword
達人(たつ・じん)
master, expert
そう
(things are) that way
簡単(かん・たん) na-adj
simple
勝つ(か・つ) u-verb
to win
そんな
that sort of
無茶(む・ちゃ)
unreasonable; excessive
手段(しゅ・だん)
method
認める(みと・める) ru-verb
to recognize, to acknowledge
その
that （abbr. of それの）
時(とき)
time
決して(けっ・して)
by no means; decidedly
彼(かれ)
he; boyfriend
会う(あ・う) u-verb
to meet
心(こころ)
heart; mind
決める(き・める) ru-verb
to decide
あの
that (over there) （abbr. of あれの）
人(ひと)
person
～度(～ど)
counter for number of times
嘘(うそ)
lie
つく u-verb
to be attached
誓う(ちか・う) u-verb
to swear, to pledge
明日(あした)
tomorrow
やめる ru-verb
to stop; to quit
肉(にく)
meat
食べる(た・べる) ru-verb
to eat

You may have seen the negative volitional form in a verb conjugation table and wondered, “What the heck is that used for?” Well the answer is not much, or to put it more accurately, there are various ways it can be used but almost all of them are extremely stiff and formal. In fact, it’s so rare that I only found one explanation in English on the web or anywhere else. (I also found this one in Japanese.)

The negative volitional is used to express negative intention. This means that there is a will for something to not happen or that someone is set out to not do something. As a result, because one is trying not to do something, it’s probably not going to happen. Essentially, it is a very stiff and formal version of でしょう and だろう. While this form is practically never used in daily conversations, you might still hear it in movies, etc.

Verbs are conjugated to the negative volitional by simply attaching まい to the verb. Another alternative is to attach まい to the stem. The conjugation for the negative volitional is quite different from those we are used to because it is always the last conjugation to apply even for the masu-form. There is no way to conjugate まい to the masu-form, you simply attach まい to the masu-form conjugation.

Using まい to express a will to not do something

For ru-verbs: Attach まい to the verb or verb stem.

Examples:

  1. 見る → 見るまい
  2. 見る → 見まい

For u-verbs: Attach まい to the end of the verb

Example:

  • 行くまい

Exceptions:

  1. する → するまい or しまい
  2. くる → くるまい

This conjugation must always come last. For masu-form, attach まい to the masu-form verb.

Example:

なる → なり → なります → なりますまい

Examples

  1. 相手は剣の達人だ。そう簡単には勝てまい。
    Your opponent is a master of the sword. I doubt you can win so easily.

  2. そんな無茶な手段は認めますまい！
    I won’t approve of such an unreasonable method！

We already learned that you could use the volitional form to say “let’s” and to express an attempt do something. But that doesn’t mean you can use the negative volitional to say “let’s not” or “try not to”. The tone of this grammar is one of very strong determination to not do something, as you can see in the following examples.

  1. その時までは決して彼に会うまいと心に決めていた。
    Until that time, I had decided in my heart to not meet him by any means.

  2. あの人は、二度と嘘をつくまいと誓ったのです。
    That person had sworn to never lie again.

In order to express “let’s not”, you can use the verb, やめる with the regular volitional. In order to express an effort to not do something, you can use ようにする with the negative verb.

  1. 明日に行くのをやめよう。
    Let’s not go tomorrow. (lit: Let’s quit going tomorrow.)

  2. 肉を食べないようにしている。
    Trying not to eat meat.

Using the volitional to express a lack of relation

Vocabulary

食べる(た・べる) ru-verb
to eat
行く(い・く) u-verb
to go
あいつ
that guy (derogatory)
大学(だい・がく)
college
入る(はい・る) u-verb
to enter
俺(おれ)
me; myself; I (masculine)
関係(かん・けい)
relation, relationship
ある u-verb
to exist (inanimate)
時間(じ・かん)
time
合う(あ・う) u-verb
to match
間に合う(ま・に・あ・う)
to be in time
最近(さい・きん)
recent; lately
ウィルス(u i ri su)
virus
強力(きょう・りょく) na-adj
powerful, strong
プログラム(pu ro gu ra mu)
program
実行(じっ・こう)
execute
する exception
to do
ページ(pe e ji)
page
見る(み・る) ru-verb
to see
感染(かん・せん)
infection

We will now learn a grammar that’s actually practical for everyday use using the negative volitional grammar. Basically, we can use both volitional and negative volitional forms to say it doesn’t matter whether something is going to happen or not. This is done by attaching が to both the volitional and the negative volitional form of the verb that doesn’t matter.

Using the volitional to express a lack of relation

Attach が to the volitional and negative volitional form of the verb.

Examples:

  1. 食べる → 食べよう、食べまい → 食べようが、食べまいが
  2. 行く → 行こう、行くまい → 行こうが、行くまいが

Examples

  1. あいつが大学に入ろうが入るまいが、俺とは関係ないよ。
    Whether that guy is going to college or not, it has nothing to do with me.

  2. 時間があろうがあるまいが、間に合わせるしかない。
    Whether there is time or not, there’s nothing to do but make it on time.

  3. 最近のウィルスは強力で、プログラムを実行しようがしまいが、ページを見るだけで感染するらしい。
    The viruses lately have been strong and whether you run a program or not, I hear it will spread just by looking at the page.

Using であろう to express likelihood

Vocabulary

ある u-verb
to exist (inanimate)
困難(こん・なん) na-adj
difficulty, distress
する exception
to do
今後(こん・ご)
hereafter
～年(～ねん)
counter for year
人間(にん・げん)
human
直面(ちょく・めん)
confrontation
問題(もん・だい)
problem
正面(しょう・めん)
front; facade
向き合う(む・き・あ・う) u-verb
to face each other
自ら(みずか・ら)
for one’s self
解決(かい・けつ)
resolution
はかる u-verb
to plan, to devise
その
that （abbr. of それの）
ノウハウ(no u ho u)
know-how
次(つぎ)
next
産業(さん・ぎょう)
industry
なる u-verb
to become
シナリオ(shi ne ri o)
scenario
考える(かんが・える) ru-verb
to think
もちろん
of course
生徒数(せい・と・すう)
number of students
減少(げん・しょう)
decline, reduction
現在(げん・ざい)
present time
学科(がっ・か)
course of study
新設(しん・せつ)
newly organized or established
職業科(しょく・ぎょう・か)
occupational studies
統廃合(とう・はい・ごう)
reorganization
科内(か・ない)
within study course
コース(ko o su)
course
改編(かい・へん)
reorganization
時代(じ・だい)
period, era
合う(あ・う) u-verb
to match
変革(へん・かく)
reform
求める(もと・める) ru-verb
to request; to seek

We already found out that the negative volitional can be used as kind of a formal version of でしょう and だろう. You may wonder, how would you do the same thing for the volitional? The answer is to conjugate the verb ある from the formal state-of-being である to the volitional to produce であろう. Remember でしょう can already be used as a polite form, so this form is even a step above that in formality. We’ll see what kind of language uses this form in the examples.

Using であろう to express likelihood

Attach であろう to the noun, adjective, or verb.

Examples:

  1. 困難 → 困難であろう
  2. する → するであろう

Examples

  1. 今後50年、人間が直面するであろう問題に正面から向き合って、自ら解決をはかりつつ、そのノウハウが次の産業となるシナリオを考えたい。(from www.jkokuryo.com)
    I would like to directly approach problems that humans have likely encounter the next 50 years and while devising solutions, take that knowledge and think about scenarios that will become the next industry.

  2. もちろん、生徒数減少の現在、学科の新設は困難であろうが、職業科の統廃合や科内コースの改編などで時代に合わせた変革が求められているはずである。(from www1.normanet.ne.jp)
    Of course, setting up new courses of study will likely be difficult with this period of decreasing student population but with reorganizations of occupational studies and courses within subjects, there is supposed to be demand for reform fit for this period.

Using かろう as volitional for い endings

Vocabulary

ある u-verb
to exist (inanimate)
早い(はや・い) i-adj
fast; early
どんな
what kind of
商品(しょう・ひん)
product
ネット(ne t to)
net
販売(はん・ばい)
selling
売上(うり・あげ)
amount sold, sales
伸びる(の・びる) ru-verb
to extend, to lengthen
言う(い・う) u-verb
to say
物(もの)
object
運動(うん・どう)
exercise
始める(はじ・める) ru-verb
to begin
遅い(おそ・い) i-adj
late
健康(けん・こう)
health
いい i-adj
good
変わる(か・わる) u-verb
to change
休日(きゅう・じつ)
holiday, day off
この
this （abbr. of これの）
関係(かん・けい)
relation, relationship

We learned in the lesson about formal grammar that ではない was the negative of である. So how would we say something like であろう but for the negative? The answer is to use yet another type of volitional for negatives and i-adjectives used only in formal and literary contexts. You can think of this grammar as a very old-fashioned version for i-adjectives and negative い endings.

The conjugation rule is simple: remove the last い and attach かろう. You can use it for negatives and i-adjectives just like the かった past conjugation form.

Using かろう to express volition for い endings

Drop the last い and attach かろう

Examples:

  1. ではない → ではなかろう
  2. 早い → 早かろう

Examples

  1. どんな商品でもネットで販売するだけで売上が伸びるというものではなかろう。
    It’s not necessarily the case that sales go up just by selling any type of product on the net.

  2. 運動を始めるのが早かろうが遅かろうが、健康にいいというのは変わりません。
    Whether you start exercising early or late, the fact that it’s good for your health doesn’t change.

  3. 休日であろうが、なかろうが、この仕事では関係ないみたい。
    Whether it’s a holiday or not, it looks like it doesn’t matter for this job.