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Be about to A; Try to A
Join for free or Login to study this and other grammar in the lesson Verb Patterns: する/なる!
寝ねよ う と した が 、 スマホ が 鳴なっ た 。 
I tried to go to sleep, but the smartphone rang.
好
27点
先 生 の 問 い に 答 え よ う と した けど 、 急 に 恥 ず か し く なって 何 も 言 え ま せ ん で し た 。 
I was about to answer the teacher's question, but I suddenly got embarrassed and couldn't say anything.
好
18点
お 風 呂 に 入 ろ う と した けど 、 急 に 友 達 が 来 た ので 入 れ な か っ た 。 
I was about to take a bath, but my friends suddenly came over so I couldn't.
好
17点
その 小 さ な 犬 は 逃 げ よ う と しました 。 
The small dog tried to get away.
好
11点
ジェーン は まさに 家 から 出 よ う と していた 。 
Jane was about to leave the house.
好
7点
あなた は 何 を しよう と している の です か 。 
What are you trying to do?

Getting the sentences
These user sentences have been verified by a native speaker.

avatar
定禅寺通り
Level: 1
(14 years ago)
あの本を読もうとしたけど、難しくてやめた。
I tried to read that book, but gave up because it was too hard.
0
9
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Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
AVerb: Volitional
と
する
Basic Examples:
電話を掛けようとする (be about to phone (someone))

Related Expressions
ようとしている
Where this grammar is found
Nihongo So-Matome N3 (日本語総まとめ）: 第1週　６日目
新完全マスター文法 N3: 第１部　１１課
JLPT N4 / Intermediate: Verb Patterns: する/なる


User notes
好
13点
the nuance of this grammar is that the speaker tried/try to do but is not successful
10 years ago
shirothekiller - Level 1

Discussion about this grammar
Diamondrock
Studying: Graduate School Placement Exam
Level: 1, 好 : 50
Mysteriously enough, the main grammar page shows that this grammar point has a model sentence, but it's not actually found on this page.
好
0点
13 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919
Fixed!
好
0点
13 years ago
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宮本勝利
Years Studied: 7
Studying: 漢検２級
Level: 1, 好 : 663
For some reason, the title of this thread is popping up as ようと為る.

Edit: I just looked it up in my dictionary, and apparently the verb する really does have this kanji, but I have never seen it used even in literature.
好
0点
13 years ago (Edited 13 years ago.)
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919
Yea - I knew a few kanji like this were going to show up. Fixed this term (する), but let me know if you see it happening with other pages. Thanks!
好
0点
13 years ago
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秋子ちゃん
Years Studied: 8
Studying: JPLT N1
Level: 1, 好 : 252
Is this used most often in the past tense, as in "was about to"? In contrast with ところ that is.
好
2点
12 years ago
dajkalaszlo20
Level: 1, 好 : 0
Nice site! Thank you for making it possible:) I have just came across this grammar in a sentence in a novel by Yoshimoto Banana. But I cannot get the sense of this structure with the verb 思う. The sentence is like the following 'だからこれは酔って見ている悪夢の続きだと思おうとした。' Can I translate it literally? Like "I tried/was about to think about..." or "I was about to think that..."?
好
0点
8 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919
That would be my guess, but I imagine it might become a bit easier to decipher with the following sentences. If the subject was about to think something like you're guessing, I'd think something might come up next that would make them think otherwise.
好
0点
8 years ago
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Dabas
Years Studied: 6
Studying: JLPT 3
Level: 17, 好 : 9
What is the difference between ようにする and ようとする? They both seem to mean "try to A", but I do not understand the difference
好
0点
4 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919
ようとする focuses on the timing aspect, that is, something is about to happen. Often used to contrast it with something that starts afterwards (and stops whatever action was going to take place).
好
0点
4 years ago
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VorpalPlayer
Level: 842, 好 : 338
Pet peeve here. This よう reads the same as ようになる. However, it's not よう, it's the Volitional Form of the verb. The way the definition is presented is confusing, and I keep missing these grammar questions because I am looking for よう, not the volitional form.
好
3点
4 years ago
Posad
Level: 1, 好 : 7

Re-upping on what VorpalPlayer said, this should really be marked as とする or maybe V-とする. Too easily confused with the actual use of よう.

好
1点
2 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919

I must have missed that when it was first posted! Just updated the name on the page. Thanks for pointing it out.

好
1点
2 years ago
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|マルコ|
Years Studied: ？？？
Studying: JLPT N2/N1 -------- 44 Games Completed in Japanese
Level: 110, 好 : 344

can I suggest changing the "(About to) try to A" part of the meaning into "try to A" ?
The reason being that the "Be about to A;" meaning already shows that usage so the "(About to)" in parenthesis in the second meaning seems redundant, and also the example sentence below in which "tried to" fits better than "about to try to"

ゴミ、捨てようと為たけど、塵箱が一杯だったよ。
I tried to throw away the trash, but the trash can was full.

好
1点
7 months ago (Edited 7 months ago.)
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 123, 好 : 6,919

Done!

好
1点
7 months ago
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stupidguy
Years Studied: not enough
Studying: second half of N4, but I'm preparing to re-study all N5-N4 grammar
Level: 134, 好 : 47

related grammar:

ようとしている "Shows change/movement A is about to start/end" https://www.renshuu.org/grammar/674/ようとしている

好
0点
4 months ago



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