# 味見してかない？



## Pavel Bond

味見してかない？
How about to taste it?
How the form してかない is made? Why not 味見するかない、or 味見しようかない？


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## Ares02

Pavel Bond said:


> 味見してかない？
> 
> How about to taste it?
> 
> How the form してかない is made? Why not 味見するかない、or 味見しようかない？




Both 「味見するかない」and「味見しようかない」is incorrect as you know.  We never use such phrases.


As for your question, first you have to know that 「してかない？」 is not accurate phrase even though we use it often in common conversations because it’s just easier to say than the original, correct form, 「していかない？」.


Then, let’s see the phrase.  「していかない？」 consists of two expressions which are 「していく」and「ない」.


Basically, you can use「していく？」 in the same way as you say 「していかない？」.  「していく？」is like “wanna taste it?”, so the true essence of 「していく」 is that the person who says that phrase is asking his/her fellow’s opinions.  Nobody knows that the person would like to do that or not.  Just asking fellow’s opinions.


On the other hand, 「していかない？」 clearly sounds he / she wants to do that.  We never say「していくない」.


The reason why add 「ない」to 「していく」 is to make it sounds more polite.  Because it’s your suggestion, so you have to be modest.  Just in case your fellows don’t want to do that.


 Usually, if you add「ない」to the last part of your phrase to make it more polite, for instance, adding 「ない」 to 「見ていく？」 , that must be 「見ていかない？」.  Because 「miteiku-nai」 is slightly strange to pronounce for Japanese.  So there must be a change of pronunciation, 「miteik-anai」.


I don’t know the origin or roots of this change, but there are rules about this and you just have to remember it.


If this answer didn’t help you.  Give me your more detailed thoughts.



The following is just references:


「味見するしかない」is “I can’t do nothing but taste it”

「しかない」 is used to describe situations where you can not avoid doing something.


「味見してかない？」 is translated to English as the following:

“Why don’t we taste it?”

“How about tasting it?”

“Let’s taste it”


「していかない？」 is “How about?” but means the suggested thing will happen soon.  At least it will happen in that day.


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## Contrafibularity

I would not say "〜してかない？" is inaccurate or incorrect.  It is just the informal contraction of "〜していかない？" 

The structure of "〜していく" is *〜して + いく (Do something and Go)*, your current action followed by your spatial movement.  
e. g.)  味見していく　taste it and go
          ニュースを見ていく　watch news and go
          荷物を置いていく  leave your baggage and go

If you are coming back to someone after doing something, you say "〜してくる" (do something and come). 
For instance, 味見してくる is "taste it and come (back)".


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## frequency

That かない？ is short for ～いかない？ You're making a suggestion.

The bare infinitive 味見する changes to 味見し. And maybe you need て. I think it's the te-form. 
味見する＋いかない？味見し＋て＋いかない？


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## Ares02

Pavel Bond said:


> 味見してかない？
> 
> How about to taste it?
> 
> How the form してかない is made? Why not 味見するかない、or 味見しようかない？




I would say there’s  a slight difference of nuance in the following part which Mr. from Osaka explained.


—————
The structure of "～していく" is ～して + いく (Do something and Go), your current action followed by your spatial movement. 

e. g.) 味見していく　taste it and go

ニュースを見ていく　watch news and go

荷物を置いていく leave your baggage and go
——————


If your following action(いく) is clear, you can use the phrase as he said, “Do something and go”.


“荷物を置いていく”
Leave your baggage and go


However, if not clear, 「していく」 should be used as below:


“味見していく”

Go (to the place where they serve something to eat / drink(bit uncommon for “味見”) and taste.


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## frequency

That ない is this:
2 文末にあって，問いかけや*勧誘*の意を表す。
味見し＋て＋いか＋ない？　いく changes to いか, when it is used with ない.


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## Contrafibularity

Hello, Ares02.  I'm sorry I forgot to say; "Welcome to this forum!" 



Ares02 said:


> However, if not clear, 「していく」 should be used as below:
> 
> 
> “味見していく”
> 
> Go (to the place where they serve something to eat / drink(bit uncommon for “味見”) and taste.


If I want to express this idea, I would say "味見しにいく" rather than "味見していく".   In casual conversation, there may be little difference in meaning between the two phrases except that there is a slightly stronger sense of purpose in the former.  At all events, I think it is easier from a learner’s point of view to see the structure of the phrase as the combination of an action and a spatial movement after.


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## Pavel Bond

Ares02, Contrafibularity, frequency, thank you very much, it's very informative and useful!


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## Pavel Bond

And could I say 味見しとかない？　as a contraction for しておかない　-  How about to taste it for the beginning (or while we have some time)?


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## Contrafibularity

Pavel Bond said:


> And could I say 味見しとかない？　as a contraction for しておかない


  Yes, you can.


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## frequency

You add おく as a hojo dōshi  to 味見しない？ Then you can add an extra feeling.
おく 6
Yours sounds エ or オ, but your #9 is okay, too. (That sounds like "Why don't we do 味見 (now) while it is possible? But anyway that's okay.)

いく is a hojo dōshi, too.
動詞の連用形に接続助詞「て（で）」を添えた形に付く。
You know you need katsuyō.
味見するいくない？  味見していかない？
味見するおくない？  味見しておかない？


Pavel Bond said:


> 味見しとかない？　as a contraction for しておかない


Yes. It's more casual.


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## Pavel Bond

Thanks!


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## Flaminius

In colloquial Japanese, _V-te iku_ (> _V-teku_) and _V-te oku_ (> _V-toku_) means either the action denoted by V takes very little time or the speaker thinks light of it.  In a sense they are no different from the colloquial use of _V-temiru_ or "try and do" or "do and see what happens".


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## Pavel Bond

Flaminius, thank you!


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