Structure
Most common pattern:
Noun + なら(1) + いざ知らず
Less common patterns:
Verb + (の)+ なら(1) + いざ知らず
[い]Adjective + (の)+ なら(1) + いざ知らず
Noun + であれば(2) + いざ知らず
Noun + は + いざ知らず
(1) ならば(2) だったら
Details
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Formal
使用域
硬い
About ならいざ知らず
ならいざ知らず is a grammar expression which combines the hypothetical form of the auxiliary verb だ, なら, the adverb いざ ‘now’, or ‘well then’, and the classically-negated form of the う-Verb 知る, 知らず ‘to not know’. It is often translated as ‘I don’t know about (A), but (B)’, or ‘maybe (A), but (B). This phrase is formal, and usually used to emphasize that, regardless of (A), (B) fits a specific description.
ならいざ知らず will follow verbs in their standard forms. Additionally, it may follow either な-Adjectives or nouns that have had their terminal だ replaced with なら.
ならいざ知らず may also be seen following other structures such as い-Adjectives when they have been nominalized with の.
ならいざ知らず will follow verbs in their standard forms. Additionally, it may follow either な-Adjectives or nouns that have had their terminal だ replaced with なら.
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結婚式かなんかに出席するならいざ知らず、友達の家に行くだけなんだからスーツなんて着ていかなくてもいいんじゃない?I don't know if you're going to a wedding or something, but since you're just going to your friend's house, you probably don't have to wear a suit.
- 15分待つならいざ知らず、いくら友達でも30分以上待つのは無理だ。It may be possible for me to wait for 15 minutes, but I won’t be able to wait more than 30 minutes, no matter how good of a friend they are.
- 経験豊富で仕事が上手ならいざ知らず、まだ始めたばかりの子にこの仕事を任せるのはかわいそうすぎますよ。I don’t know about people that have a lot of experience and are good at their jobs, but I feel bad giving such work to a person that just started.
- 平日ならいざ知らず、連休中に遊園地などのようなところに行く人は多いだろう。I don't know about weekdays, but I’m sure that there are a lot of people that go to places like amusement parks during holidays.
ならいざ知らず may also be seen following other structures such as い-Adjectives when they have been nominalized with の.
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新しいのならいざ知らず、前のモデルはよく勝手に電源が落ちたからあまり売れなかったらしい。I don’t know about the new ones, but the older models didn’t sell well because they would turn off on their own.
Fun Fact
In many cases, (A) is an extreme example used to show that (B) is the opposite of that, and is therefore either surprising or irritating.-
大昔ならいざ知らず、現代では詐欺についてよくテレビやインターネットで話題になっているから、詐欺の手口も年々と進化していってる。I don’t know about the past, but nowadays, scams are often talked about on TV and the internet today, so scam tactics are evolving year by year.
- 神ならいざ知らず、俺みたいなやつにはああいうことをする奴たちを許すことなどできない。I don't know about the gods, but it is very hard for a person like me to forgive people that do things like that.
Caution
Occasionally は will be used instead of なら. However, the meaning of the overall phrase will remain the same.-
60年前はいざ知らず、今では喫煙する人が減ってきている。I don’t know about 60 years ago, but nowadays, there are less people that smoke.
Examples
1万円は社会人ならいざ知らず、小学生にとっては想像を絶する金額だ。
I don't know about working adults, but for children, 10 000 yen is an unimaginable amount of money.
百年前ならいざ知らず、現代のこの国においては情報へのアクセスは容易になっているからそのようなことを誰でも知っているはずだ。
I don't know about 100 years ago, but in modern times, since access to information is widespread in this country, everybody should know something like that.
Contrasting the past and present is extremely common with いざ知らず
「運動は不健康だからしない」と最近よく聞く。プロのスポーツ選手ならいざ知らず、一般の人ならば、運動は有益である。
Recently, I often hear that 'exercising is unhealthy, so I don't do it'. I don't know about professional athletes, but for ordinary people exercising is beneficial.
A:「子供の頃、ここでザリガニを釣ったものだ。」
B:「昔ならいざ知らず、現代では川が汚染されているから無理です。」'When I was a child, I used to catch crayfish here.'
'I don't know about how it was in the past, but nowadays the river is polluted, so it's impossible.'「自分一人で衣装を着て楽しむのならいざ知らず、人前にコスプレ姿で出るのは私にとっては不可能に近いです。」
'It might be possible to wear the costume by myself for fun, but when it comes to going out in public dressed in cosplay, then it's nigh on impossible!
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