まい and ようとする — Extensions of the Volitional Form

Beyond expressing volition, conjecture, and invitation, the volitional form (~よう/~う) has several important extended uses.

まい — The Negative Volitional

まい is the negative counterpart of the volitional form, expressing "will absolutely not do" or "probably won't."

• 二度とあんな店には行くまい。 → I will never go to that kind of shop again. (Strong negative volition)

• 彼はもう来るまい。 → He probably won't come anymore. (Negative conjecture)

Conjugation of まい: Godan verbs use dictionary form + まい; Ichidan verbs use dictionary form + まい or stem + まい; する → するまい/すまい; 来る → 来るまい/来まい.

ようとする vs ようと思う

These two look similar, but differ greatly in how committed the speaker is:

• 日本に留学に行こうとしている。 → I'm preparing to go study in Japan. (Already taking steps)

• 日本に留学に行こうと思っている。 → I'm thinking about going to study in Japan. (Still considering, no concrete action)

Two scenarios for ようとする

1. About to do something (action is imminent):

• 出かけようとした時、電話が鳴った。 → Just as I was about to leave, the phone rang.

2. Trying to do something (making an effort):

• ドアを開けようとしたが、鍵がかかっていた。 → I tried to open the door, but it was locked.

On-the-spot decisions vs prior plans

The volitional form also has a subtle distinction based on timing:

• よし、買おう。 → Alright, I'll buy it! (On-the-spot decision, immediate volition)

• 明日買おうと思っている。 → I'm planning to buy it tomorrow. (Prior plan)

Self-Test

Q1. 「出かけ＿＿とした時、雨が降り出した。」

A. よう   B. まい   C. たい

Q2. 「彼はもう来る＿＿。」(He probably won't come anymore)

Summary

• まい = negative volitional, meaning "will never" or "probably won't"
• ようとする = about to do / trying to do (high commitment, already acting)
• ようと思う = thinking of doing (low commitment, still just a thought)
• Volitional form alone = on-the-spot decision; with と思う = prior plan