～（よ）うにも & ～（よ）うものなら
In past lessons, we have learned about the auxiliary ～（よ）う and how it is used to mark volition, supposition, and with both properties implicated when followed by the conjunctive particles が・と（も）. Incidentally, there are other patterns which utilize the auxiliary ～（よ）う in conditionals, each with its unique relationship between Situation A (the conditional) and Situation B (the main clause). The ones to be introduced in this lesson are:
- ～（よ）うにも
- ～（よ）うものなら
As for the bases of the auxiliary ～（よ）う, it only possesses two:
| 終止形 | (yo)u |
| 連体形 | (yo)u |
The 終止形 is utilized in ～（よ）うにも and the 連体形 is utilized in ～（よ）うものなら.
～（よ）うにも
The contrastive conditional relationship established by ～（よ）うにも is:
- Even if the agent were to try to execute Situation A, Situation B prevents/conflicts with said execution of Situation A.
Because of this relationship, the main clause (Situation B) must be in the negative with a form of ～ない, and the predicate itself is most often the same verb as Situation A but in its potential negative form.
1. 家出をしようにも、お金がないよ。
Even if (you) were to run away, (you) don’t have any money.
2. スマホが壊れているので、友達に連絡を取ろうにも取れない。
My smartphone is broken, so I can’t contact my friends even if I were to try to.
3. 終電を逃してしまい、帰ろうにも帰れない。
I missed the last train, so I can’t get back home even if were to try to.
4. 昨日飲みすぎて、頭がガンガンするから、起きようにも起きられない。
I drank too much yesterday and my head is pounding, so I can’t get up even if I were to try.
5. 忙しくて休もうにも休めない。
I’m so busy that I can’t take a break even if were to try to.
6. 断ろうにも断れず、テイラー君にお金を貸してしまった。
Unable to refuse even if I were to try to, I lent money to Taylor-kun.
7. プールの中で歩こうにも中々抵抗で歩けない。
Even if you walk inside a pool, you can’t quite walk even with significant resistance.
8. 歌を歌おうにも高音が出にくい。
Even if I try to sing the song, it’s hard to reach the high tones.
9. 急ごうにも急げる体でもない。
I’m not in the physical condition to be able to hurry.
10. 履歴書を書こうにも電話番号の記入は必須だから、携帯が無いと履歴書を作れない。
Even if I were to write a resume, because phone number is a required field, if I don’t have a cellphone, I can’t make a resume.
11. 今から就職活動しようにも、やりたい事もないし資格とかも持っていない。
Even if I were to start looking for a job now, there’s nothing I want to do or really have the qualifications for.
12. 塾で学んだ事を復習させようにも、ほとんど時間が確保出来ない。
Even if I were to have (the students) review what they’ve learned in cram school, I could not secure hardly any time.
～にも～ない
The pattern ～（よ）うにも utilizes the conjunctive particle に, which is why this pattern is structurally like other contrastive conditional patterns, and it just so happens that the conjunctive particle に may appear after the volitional form (意向形) or the non-past form of a verb. The difference in nuance is as follows:
| V1 (Non-Past) + ～に V1 (Potential Negative) | Emotionally based contexts where the realization of Situation B is deemed not possible, and so no attempt is even made in the first place. |
| V1 (Volitional) + ～にも V1 (Potential Negative) | Situation B shown impossible even with an attempt made to make it happen. |
These patterns hinge on the presence of volition in respect to V1, which would indicate that the latter part of the grammar, ～にも V1 (Potential Negative), behaves the same. Thus, we are looking at the same pattern with the addition of the auxiliary ～（よ）う adding its layer of modality into the dynamic – changing the execution of V1 as something deemed out of reach (in an emotionally charged context no less) to something that is proven to be out of reach through the execution of the agent’s volition.
13. 売るに売れないものだ。
It’s something I can’t sell even if I wanted to.
14. 今朝からずっと雨で、行くに行けない。
It’s been raining ever since this morning, and so I just can’t go.
15.ドリンクが来ないと歌うに歌えないですよね。
You really can’t sing if your drink doesn’t come, huh.
16. 行くに行けない雰囲気になった。
The atmosphere became one that I couldn’t go.
17. 帰るに帰れないかもなあ。
Looks like I/we can’t go home…
18. トイレに行くに行けない状況になった時は、精神的にかなりきつい。
It’s psychologically very tense whenever you’re in a situation you can’t go to the restroom.
19. 泣くに泣けない凡ミスだった。
It was a trivial mistake too bitter to cry about.
20. 越すに越されぬ1大きな川
A river impossible to traverse
Aspect-wise, the non-past tense sets the speaker(=agent)’s mind to a theoretical timeline in which the agent is to carry it out, the circumstances prevent it from being a reality, removing the agent’s control from the equation. This holds true for when the volitional form is used, too, however, as the tense of the dependent clause does not change. What does change is that the agent’s execution of their control still means nothing.
～（よ）うものなら
The conditional relationship established by ～（よ）うものなら is:
- Provided that Situation A does come to pass, Situation B occurs, and as for Situation B, it is a very dire consequence.
This grammar point utilizes the suppositional nuance of ～（よ）うものなら.
21. 先生に厚かましくも口答えをしようものなら、大目玉を食らうだろう。
Should you ever have the nerve to talk back to your teacher, you will surely get scolded severely.
22. 火事になろうものなら、大変だぞ。
It would be a grave situation should there be a fire.
～ものなら
Without the layer of nuance provided by ～（よ）う , ～ものなら after the non-past form of a verb creates the following conditional relationship:
- Situation A is an action that the speaker really wishes were possible, and Situation B is the same action in whatever capacity the speaker(=agent) would execute it.
The verbal predicate preceding ～ものなら is almost always in its potential form. The use of the nominalizer もの, as opposed to the other nominalizers, is what adds a sense of tangibleness to the preceding verbal predicate it nominalizes.
23. もし過去に戻れるものなら、戻って現在を変えたい。
If I could go back in time, I would go back and change the present.
24. 会えるものなら、天国の愛犬にもう一度会いたいです。
If I could, I would like to see my beloved dog in heaven again.
25. 住めるものなら、大きな家に住みたいです。
If I could, I would like to live in a big house.
26. 言えるものなら言いたいけど、今はまだ言えないよ。
I wish I could say, but I’m unable to yet.
27. できるものなら、今すぐ帰国したいぐらいです。
If I could, I would like to go back to my country right here and now.
If the statement is directed at someone else, then ～ものなら takes on a provocative tone, implying that the listener(=potential agent) has no chance of actually being able to do said action.
28. 掴めるものなら、掴んでごらん。
If you think you can grab it, go right ahead.
29. ひとりで行けるものなら、行ってみなさい。
If you think you can go alone, go ahead and try to.
In casual conversation, ～ものなら often manifests as ～もんなら.
30. 浮気できるもんなら、してみろ。
If you (think) you can cheat, go ahead and do it.
31. 寝れるもんなら寝てみろや。
If you (think) you can sleep, go ahead and try.
- 越されぬ is, in fact, an old-fashioned potential negative form of the verb 越す. Prior to the emergence of the potential form for 五段 verbs, potential was marked by the auxiliary ～れる for 五段 verbs. ↩︎