I don't understand the meaning of に in this sentence:
切り出すに切り出せず、今日まできてしまいました
Is 切り出すに切り出せず fashioned after some particular grammar? I can't really think of an interpretation that sounds natural.
Answer
「Verb + に（or にも） + Same Verb in potential form + ず」
is a very common phrase pattern that expresses one's inability or hesitation to perform the action described by the verb.
「[切]{き}り[出]{だ}すに切り出せず、[今日]{きょう}まできてしまいました。」
means:
"I have not been quite able to bring up (this) topic until today."
No comments:
Post a Comment