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I came across this example in a textbook, and I can't figure out the grammar of the 2nd sentence:

彼から来るはずの連絡がない。事故にでもあったのではあるまいか。

ok:

The correspondence from him that was expected has not come. 事故にでもあったのではあるまいか。

I've no idea what 事故にでもあった means. I can only imagine tokenizing as:

事故、に、でも、あった

maybe I can imagine:

事故、に、合った。 I had an accident

Not sure what to make of that でも... I don't know.

david.t
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    Does this answer your question? http://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/21519/meaning-of-%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82-in-%E9%A3%9F%E4%BA%8B%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E3%81%A9%E3%81%86%E3%81%A7%E3%81%99%E3%81%8B – mirka Nov 27 '15 at 19:23
  • @mirka actually, should I have written "事故に遭った"? – david.t Nov 27 '15 at 23:14
  • Yes, that's right :) – mirka Nov 28 '15 at 08:29

1 Answers1

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The ～にでも makes the sentence mean 'Could he have been involved in an accident or such?' It just makes the sentence politer than ～に alone. The last bit is a little odd too: ～のではあるまいか is a somewhat archaic way of saying ～のではないだろうか. The construction is used for offering a suggestion.

Angelos
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