そうに / 出てけ

[eeky]

Hi,

1. Does そうに have the sense of "almost" or "nearly" only in the expression そうになった, or are there other cases too (without the なった) where it can mean that?

2. 彼は私に出てけと合図した。

Is 出てけ = 出ていけ （行け）?

 

[Toritoribe]

1)
その子は今にも泣きだしそうに目を潤ませていた。

Thus, it's possible to have that meaning.

2)
Right.

 

[eeky]

1)
その子は今にも泣きだしそうに目を潤ませていた。

So, in cases like this, can we only tell whether the meaning is "nearly/almost" or "seems/looks like" from the context?

 

[Toritoribe]

Unlike そうな, そうに seems to be rarely used as "nearly/almost". In fact, そう means "seems/looks like" in その子は泣きそうに目を潤ませていた, thus, "nearly/almost" is reinforced (or provided) by 今にも and/or ～だす.

 

[eeky]

Could you give a couple of simple typical examples of そうな used in the "nearly/almost" sense?

Also, are there any そうな cases that are ambiguous between "nearly/almost" and "seems/looks like"?

 

[Toritoribe]

崩れそうな崖
喧嘩が始まりそうなにらみ合い
雨が降りそうな天気


お化けが出そうな雰囲気
検問で止められそうな車
(Police is about to stop a car at a checkpoint(= 止められそうになっている車), or the speaker thinks "Police must stop this car at a checkpoint, since it's illegally converted" just by seeing the car.)

 

[eeky]

Thanks. I think I confuse these meanings a bit in my mind, producing a kind of hybrid. For example I would read 崩れそうな崖 as meaning "cliff that seems about to collapse". Or is that interpretation OK?

 

[Toritoribe]

An action verb + そう often has a nuance that the action/movement occurs soon, but it also can express the distant future. Adverbs or the context would fix the meaning, as in my fist example.

See the difference.
今にも崩れそうな崖 vs 大きな地震でもあれば崩れそうな崖(In other words, the cliff wouldn't collapse unless a big earthquake occurs. This situation can't be "be about to~", right?)

 

[eeky]

With the proviso below, I would read 大きな地震でもあれば崩れそうな崖 as meaning "cliff that looks like it would collapse if there was a big earthquake".Is that a valid interpretation?

However, on an unrelated point, I am not clear why でも is used here. To me it seems to have the wrong emphasis. Following でも, I am expecting it to say that the cliff would not collapse even in a big earthquake.

 

[Toritoribe]

Yes, that's correct.


大きな地震でも is not a condition for 崩れる. あれば is conditional. This でも means "or something".

でも
［係助］《断定の助動詞「だ」の連用形＋係助詞「も」から》名詞または名詞に準じる語、助詞に付く。
３ 物事をはっきりと言わず、一例として挙げる意を表す。「けが―したら大変だ」「兄に―相談するか」

でも［接助係助］の意味 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書

See the difference.
大きな地震でもあれば、崩れそうだ。(The cliff would collapse if there's a big earthquake (or something).)
大きな地震でも崩れない / 崩れそうにない。(The cliff would not collapse even in a big earthquake.)

 

[eeky]

This でも means "or something".

Oh yeah ... I have learnt that meaning, but I forgot. Thanks...