1

enter image description here

I'm not sure how to parse and translate まってないでつっこまないか. This is from the manga which I enclose a snippet here for context.

I think 待つ　and　突っ込む are involved here but I don't know what's the actual meaning (and the grammatical construction) of this. My best guess is something like "Don't stand still. Charge the ball!". Is this close?

Chav Likit
  • 459
  • 3
  • 11
  • Okay, so I think まってないでつっこまないか is actually two sentences, not one compound sentence like I initially thought. It's more like まってないでください。つっこまないかーっ。Am I correct? – Chav Likit Feb 20 '20 at 07:07
  • 2
    Nope, it's more like 「待ってないでつっこめ！」 . 「待ってないで突っ込まないかー！」→ Literally "Why don't you charge the ball, instead of waiting (for the ball to come)!" – Chocolate Feb 20 '20 at 07:14

1 Answers1

4

～ないか (negative-ない followed by questioning-か) with a falling intonation forms a strong command. See this question. (As an aside, ～ないか with a rising intonation forms a suggestion/invitation.)

  • 突っ込む: "to charge (to the ball)"
  • 突っ込まないか: "Why not charge!" "Charge!"

待ってないで is "without waiting". To break down:

  • 待つ: "to wait"
  • 待っている: "to be waiting"; the progressive form of 待つ (te-form of 待つ + いる)
  • 待ってる: "to be waiting"; a contraction of 待っている
  • 待ってない: "not to be waiting"; a negative form of 待ってる
  • 待ってないで: "without waiting"; the te-form of 待ってない

待ってないで on its own indeed can work as a casual request, too ("(Please) don't keep waiting"), but given his angry face, this is not a correct interpretation.

naruto
  • 285,549
  • 12
  • 305
  • 582