Recently, we've been getting surgical on volitional verbs.

Over the course of Lessons 52, 54, 55, and 57, we looked at how, for example, the following phrases...

1 食べよう
2 食べよう
3 食べようっと
4 食べようかな～
5 食べようと思う
6 食べようと思ってる
7 食べようとしてる
8 食べようとしたけど...

...with the following readings...

1 tabeyou
2 tabeyou
3 tabeyou to
4 tabeyou ka naa
5 tabeyou to omou
6 tabeyou to omotteru
7 tabeyou to shiteru
8 tabeyou to shita kedo

...can mean...

1 Let's eat.
2 I think I'll eat.
3 I think I'll eat.
4 Hmm... I think maybe I'll eat...
5 I think I'll eat.
6 I've been thinking about eating.
7 I'm trying to eat.
8 I tried to eat, but...

(Note: We also saw how to conjugate volitional verbs in this Google doc.)

Good News & Bad News

Today, I have some good news and bad news.

The good news is that tomorrow is the last day I'm going to bug you about volitional verb constructions... for a while.

The bad news is that I still have to teach you #9, #10 and #11 of that list.

Bear with me, yo...

#9 - About to VERB

So #7 was "trying to VERB," yeah?

Volitional VERB + としてる
= Trying to VERB

食べようとしてる
tabeyou to shiteru
I'm trying to eat.

We had a sweet photo for this one, remember?

The guy "trying to climb" a mountain:

登ろうとしてる。
noborou to shiteru.
He's trying to climb (it). // I'm trying to climb (it).

Well, there is another meaning for this grammatical construction:

Volitional VERB + としている
= about to VERB

Now, you might be wondering why I included the い (i) in the auxiliary verb いる. In casual sentences, it will be more common to leave this out, so we say してる instead of している, but this use of "about to VERB" is really common in written language, so I think you're quite likely to see it with the い in いる.

Some examples...

太陽が沈もうとしている。
taiyou ga shizumou to shiteiru.
The sun is about to set.
(Literally: "sun + が + let's sink + としている.")

その飛行機は離陸しようとしている。
sono hikouki wa ririku shiyou to shiteiru.
The plane is about to take off.
(Literally: "that + plane + は + takeoff + let's do + としている.")
(Note: I always thought 離陸 [ririku], "takeoff," was a cool word [especially if you look up the kanji meanings]. The opposite is 着陸 [chakuriku], "landing; touching down." There was a solid 1-year period where I mixed them up every time.)

Sometimes you'll see words like まさに (masa ni; "truly") or 今 (ima; "now"), which can give the sense that the person or thing in question is just about to VERB:

その飛行機はまさに離陸しようとしている。
sono hikouki wa masa ni ririku shiyou to shiteiru.
The plane is just about to take off.

I seem to come across this grammar when comparatively big things are "about to HAPPEN."

Honestly, though, I don't use it very often.

But it does show up on JLPT N2!

Ahh!!!! 💀

Also, it just seemed wrong to not mention it when we've already seen this construction being used for "trying to VERB."

Also-also-also, it can be used in spoken Japanese...

#10 = Just when I was about to VERB...

In Lesson #57, we had this sentence:

作ろうとしたけど材料が足りなかった。
tsukurou to shita kedo zairyou ga tarinakatta.
I tried to make it, but I didn't have enough ingredients.

This is Usage #8 listed above:

Usage #8 Formula
Volitional VERB + としたけど
= tried to VERB, but...

But we can replace けど with とき, and it will mean...

Usage #10 Formula
Volitional VERB + としたとき
= just when [I] was about to VERB

夜ご飯を作ろうとしたとき、用事を思い出した。
yorugohan wo tsukurou to shita toki, youji wo omoidashita.
Just when I was about to make dinner, I remembered something I needed to do.
(Literally: "dinner + を + let's make + としたとき + task/errand + を + recalled.")
(Note: The nuance is that the speaker did not continue making dinner right then. The action was interrupted.)

Simplified Side-by-Side:
#8: 作ろうとしたけど // tried to make, but
#10: 作ろうとしたとき // was just about to make when

Examples...

電車に乗ろうとしたとき、靴が脱げた。
densha ni norou to shita toki, kutsu ga nugeta.
Just when I was about to get on the train, my shoe came off.
(Literally: "train + に + let's get on + としたとき + shoe + が + came off.")
(Note: The nuance is that the speaker was not able to board the train at that exact moment.)

家を出ようとしたとき、忘れ物に気付いた。
ie wo deyou to shita toki, wasuremono ni kidzuita.
Just when I was about to go out, I realized I'd forgotten something.
(Literally: "house + を + let's leave + としたとき + something forgotten + に + realized.")
(Note: This person was probably stepping out the door, or had already put their coat on, for example, when they realized they'd forgotten something [their wallet, for instance], which they then went back for.)

寝ようとしたとき、電話がかかってきた。
neyou to shita toki, denwa ga kakatte kita.
Just when I was about to go to sleep, the phone rang.
(Literally: "let's sleep + としたとき + phone + が + was phoned + came.")

❈ Note City ❈

#1: This verb-combo, かかってきた, makes me want to cry.

If you call someone, you could say 電話する [denwa suru; "phone + do"].

Or you could say 電話かける [denwa kakeru; "phone + hang / hoist / raise / begin / take / call"].

As you can see, there is no good English for かける, which means a million things.

かかる is the intransitive equivalent of the transitive verb かける.

#2: The simple version is 電話かける is "to call," and 電話かかる is "to be called."

❈ Exit Note City ❈

Does this make sense?

I'm starting to confuse myself with all of this talk about conjugations and verbs and nuances.

So let's take a step back and see if any of this makes sense.

作ろう (tsukurou) is "let's make/cook."

作ろう is also "I think I'll make/cook" in the sense of saying "let's make" to myself.

We can imagine that 作ろうとした (tsukurou to shita) is: "I think I'll make/cook" + AND (と) + DID.

In other words: "I think I'll make cook → and → attempted."

We add けど, and we see that the attempt was a failure: "I think I'll make cook → and → attempted → but (failed)."

Or we add とき, and we see that we never even got to finish our attempt, because it was interrupted: "I think I'll make cook → and → attempted → when (interrupted)."

Or that's how I like to think of it, at least.

Maybe that just confuses you more?

If so, I recommend just picking out 3-4 sentences and hardcore memorizing them.

Slowly, over time, you can add more sentences to the grammar bank in your head, and things will just start feeling like they make sense eventually.

#11 - Doesn't even think about VERB-ing

We're gonna operate on #11 tomorrow.

Also, I think it's not quite as confusing as all of this.

Get excited!

Bonus Phrases

まもなく着陸態勢に入ります。
まもなく　ちゃくりく　たいせい　に　はいります。
We will soon begin preparing for landing.
Literally: "before long + landing + preparations + に + enter."

家着いたら電話する。
いえ　ついた　ら　でんわ　する。
I'll call you when I get home.

朝電話かけてくれる？
あさ　でんわ　かけて　くれる？
Will you call in the morning (for me)?
Note: For example, a wife might say this to her husband if she wants him to call the plumber or something.