I wonder A B; I don't know A B
Shows uncertainty/not-knowing as to A/B
4
私の娘はいつになったら一人で寝れるのやら。
I wonder when my daughter will be able to go to sleep on her own.
0
6
いつになったら晴れるのやら、今週はずっと雨だ。
I wonder how soon the weather will clear up; it's been rainy all this week.
0
Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
Basic Examples:
一体何を食わせるのやら (What in the world are they feeding me?)
如何為ればいいのやら (I wonder what I should do...)
Where this grammar is found
Grammar usage notes
のやら is a formal and somewhat literary expression often used in writing, particularly in contexts where there’s uncertainty or ambiguity. In conversation, のやら might sound formal, old-fashioned, or poetic. You’d be more likely to hear it in stories, songs, or reflective essays than in casual dialogue. When used in speech, it can have a slightly dramatic or philosophical nuance. For example: 彼がどうしているのやら (I wonder how he’s doing). のやら is often used in set phrases or rhetorical questions, like どうなることやら (what will become of this?) or いつになることやら (who knows when...). In more casual or everyday speech, people would typically use のか or のかな instead: 彼がどうしているのかな。
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