JSLL #45 - Yuki Onna, part 10

Let's continue the encounter between the two lumberjacks and the mysterious white woman.

Sentence 1:

巳之吉は逃げようとしましたが、体も動かなければ声も出ませんした。

みのきちはにげようとしましたが、からだもうごかなければこえもでませんでした。

Grammar

This sentence introduces one of several ways in which you can create a conditional verb. Unlike English, which has a separate word "if" to make a clause conditional, Japanese has an ~eba ending for verbs, adjectives and nouns. The rules are:

• For a normal verb, take the plain form of the verb, change its -u ending into an -e ending, and add ば. For example, 食べる becomes 食べれば (if one eats), 話す becomes 話せれば (if one talks), and so on.
• For a negative verb, take the plain form the negative verb, which always ends in ない, and change the ない ending into a なければ ending. For example, 食べない becomes 食べなければ (if one doesn't eat). 
• For an i-adjective, take the -い ending and replace it  with ければ. For example, 赤い becomes 赤ければ (if red)
• For a noun or na-adjective, add であれば. 犬であれば (if a dog), きれいあれば (if pretty).

In this sentence, the conditional 動かなければ is negative created by taking the verb 動く (move), making it negative: 動かない (not move), and then making that negative conditional: 動かなければ (if not move).

What's more, the conditional is used here in a somewhat unusual way:

体も動かなければ声も出ませんした

This construction has the form NOUN1も+[conditional VERB1]+NOUN2も+[normal VERB2]. This construction translates to "Both NOUN1 VERB1 and NOUN2 VERB2" or, if the verbs are both negative as in this sentence, "Neither NOUN1 VERB1 nor NOUN2 VERB2."

Vocabulary

• 逃げる means "to run away, to flee."
• 体 means "body."
• 動くmeans "to move"

Kanji

Each new word introduces a new kanji:

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
逃	N3	12
体	N4	89
動	N4	88

Translation

Minokichi tried to flee, but he neither moved nor uttered a sound.

Sentence 2:

女はその時巳之吉の顔をしげしげ見つめました。

おんなはそのときみのきちのかおをしげしげみつめました。

Grammar

The phrase その時, literally "that time," translates to "At the moment, ... " or "That's when..."

Vocabulary

The new words are the onomatopeia しげしげ ("frequently, often; (staring) fixedly, narrowly, closely, steadily") and the verb 見つめる "to stare at, to gaze at."

Kanji

No new kanji in this sentence.

Translation

That's when the woman stared fixedly at Minokocihi's face.

Sentence 3:

巳之吉は田舎には珍しい美しい顔をもつ若者だったのです。

みのきちはいなかにはめずらしいうつくしいかおをもつわかものだったのです。

Grammar

Somewhat unusually, the sentence has two topics in a row (巳之吉 and 田舎に), and two い-adjectives (珍しい and 美しい). Check the translation for how this translates.

Note also how 持つ is written as もつ, without a kanji. I'm not quite sure why.

Vocabulary

New words in this sentence:

• 田舎 means "the countryside"
• 珍しい means "rare, uncommon, unusual, curious"

Kanji

Kanji	N-level	Occurs in how many common words?
田	N4	18 - this kanji is present in some of Japan's most common surnames, like 田中 (Tanaka), 吉田 (Yoshida), 山田 (Yamada) and 池田 (Ikeda)
舎	N1	8
珍	N2	3

Translation

Minokichi was a young man with a face that was beautiful in a way that was unusual in the countryside, you see.