Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 5: 4/18

果(は)たしてWonder if ~ (really)?, Wonder how ~ (actually)?, Sure enough, As expected

果たして + Phrase → Mostly found in literature

Structure

はたして + (Question) Phrase
はたして + Phrase

Details

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About はたして

果(は)たして, being the て-form of the う-Verb 果(は)たす 'to fulfill', or 'to come to fruition', is an expression that is used adverbially to strengthen phrases of speculation. It may be translated as 'I wonder if (A)', 'how actually (A)', or 'how really (A)'.

果(は)たして will often be seen paired with other structures that indicate speculation, such as だろうか, でしょうか, かな, or かしら; and can be thought of as just emphasizing them further.

As this grammar point will be used adverbially, it will primarily appear at the beginning of sentences.

In sentences that do not include other speculative grammar patterns such as だろうか, 果(は)たして will regularly be translated as 'sure enough', or 'as expected'.

Fun-fact

Coming from the base meaning of 果(は)たす 'to come to fruition', 果(は)たして can be thought of as similar to 'in the end' in almost all cases, as it merely expresses the speakers thought process about 'what will' or 'what has' happened 'in the end'.

  • 大学院(だいがくいん)に進学(しんがく)するのは果(は)たして私(わたし)にメリットがあるのでしょうか？
    I wonder if going on to graduate school will actually benefit me in the end.
  • 彼(かれ)以外(いがい)誰(だれ)も仕事(しごと)に来(こ)なかったため、果(は)たして彼(かれ)が全員(ぜんいん)の仕事(しごと)をすることになった。
    Since no one came to work except him, he ended up having to do everyone's job in the end as expected.

If using this translation to memorize 果(は)たして, it should also be noted that the nuance of what happens 'in the end' is almost always something that the speaker either expected, or assumed would happen in the first place.

Examples

--:--

    迷子(まいご)：「果(は)たしてどうやって帰(かえ)るの？」

    Lost child: 'I wonder how will I actually get back home?'

    A：「バンジージャンプしてみたいなぁ〜。」
    B：「果(は)たしてできるかしら？」

    A: 'I want to try bungee jumping.'
    B: 'I wonder if you can actually do it?'

    あんな厚(あつ)かましいお願(ねが)いをして、果(は)たしてうまくいくのだろうか。

    I wonder, with such an impudent request, if it will actually turn out well.

    大学(だいがく)を中退(ちゅうたい)するのは果(は)たして賢明(けんめい)な行動(こうどう)でしょうか。

    I wonder if dropping out of university is really a wise thing to do?

    首相(しゅしょう)は減税(げんぜい)を約束(やくそく)した。果(は)たして首相(しゅしょう)は公約(こうやく)を守(まも)らなかった。

    The prime minister promised to cut taxes. Sure enough, he broke his promise.

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      はたして – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (2 in total)

      • FredKore

        FredKore

        Can someone explain the nuance here?

        ゆきさんとともこさんは長い間、付き合っていた。 はたして 、彼らは結婚した。

        The English translation uses “sure enough”, which sounds like high certainty, but the grammar explanation says this expresses assumption or skepticism, which sounds like low certainty?

      • Fuga

        Fuga

        Hey @FredKore !

        This expression is used to express skepticism when used with words like, だろうか、でしょうか、であろうか. If the phrase that comes after はたして is not expressing skepticism, it is used as ‘sure enough’ with the nuance of high certainty.

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