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I was watching 弱キャラ友崎くん 2nd STAGE episode two with Japanese subs and I could not understand this after all of my searching. This is because I need to learn more about grammar and given time, studying and input I'd probably come to understand but it's really annoying me right now haha.

Full-sentence: そして現状平林さんはゲーマーであろうとしていない

So, I know that 〜たりとも〜ないis a thing and i don't fully understand that either but an example I would is one I found here: 1人としていない = There is not even one person. So, 1 + counter + として (...ない) is a grammatical pattern that means (not) even one. However, I couldn't get around to how this would work with としていない due to the い. The reason I can't find an answer is becuase everywhere explains it how I just mentioned, 〜たりとも〜ない, but this makes me wonder what the bit in between this is. An idea I had was that い was いる Or showing that it's in the present but surely not haha. Again, I know I could better understand this after studying other stuff related to this, but I would like to understand a tiny bit now.

At first with the context I thought the character was basically saying that 平林さん isn't a gamer but it's a bit more nuanced. I heard that であろう is also kind of like だろう but I'm not sure.

Google and the subs say that it's 平林さん isn't trying to be a gamer　which makes some sense but it still confuses me a bit. Where is the 〜たくない Wouldn't gaming be いる as well? so why is it あろう? Is this あろう separate from ある? Sorry, a lot of questions in one haha

Thanks!!

what is this channel even
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  • check the grammar ようとしている https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/43013/what-is-the-use-of-%e3%82%88%e3%81%86%e3%81%a8%e3%81%97%e3%81%a6%e3%81%84%e3%82%8b – shinku Feb 24 '24 at 19:40

1 Answers1

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This is the grammar point: verbようとする. This means to "attempt to"

So, to say,

ゲーマーであろうとしていない

is indeed to say

平林さん is not trying to be a gamer.

This grammar is the volutional form of the verb plus とする and is an important point of grammar.

Here であろう is the volitional form of である which is a bit literary/formal form of だ.

We can break this down a bit more:

平林さんはゲーマーだ

Hirabayashi is a gamer.

I'm not sure why you expected to see 〜たくない. This would add the meaning of "not want to". So, you could say

平林さんはゲーマーになりたくない

Hirabayashi doesn't want to be[come] a gamer.

Or possibly,

平林さんはゲーマーであろうとしたくない

Hirabayashi doesn't want to attempt to be a gamer.

A.Ellett
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