やらand what not; who knows
Said twice, AやらBやら picks a couple of things out of a jumble, usually when it all feels like a lot. After a question word, のやら is something else: "who knows", said with a shrug or a worry.
a jumble
Before the move, what with packing, paperwork at the city office and everything else, every day was hectic.
who knows
I haven't the faintest idea what he is hiding.
A jumble
A やら + B やら
A and B are nouns, い-adjectives or verbs in the plain present: 宿題やらアルバイトやら, 泣くやら笑うやら. A particle usually follows the second やら, most often で.
Who knows
Question word … plain form + のやら
どこへ行ったのやら. ものやら and ことやら mean the same.
やら～やら: a couple out of a jumble
You name a couple of things, and there was more where they came from. Mostly it says that it was all a bit much: too busy, too messy, one thing on top of another. What it led to often comes after で. You will hear it in conversation and read it in essays and novels.
Papers, old photos and goodness knows what else are spread all over the desk.
What with the train running late and the rain starting, I ended up late for my appointment.
It is all in the past, but the verbs before やら usually stay in the present.
At the graduation ceremony I was happy and sad all at once, and couldn't find the words.
Mixed feelings are a common use.
や, とか or やら?
Books, papers and so on are piled on the desk.
や: a plain open list.
Books, papers and stuff are piled on the desk.
とか: the same list in casual talk.
Books, papers and all sorts are piled on the desk.
やら: a jumble of them, and it feels like a lot.
のやら: who knows
After a question word, のやら says you can't tell. Nobody is being asked. It is a shrug, a worry or a sigh, and the sentence can stop right there. It has a rueful, slightly literary ring: people mutter it half to themselves, and you will read it in novels and essays.
Goodness knows when that child will be home.
I can't even guess how much the repairs will cost.
Who knows how things will turn out.
A set phrase.
No one knows when he will be back.
か: a plain fact.
No one knows when on earth he will be back.
のやら: the same fact, with a sigh.
With no question word, the doubt is yes or no, and のやら often comes twice.
Is he coming or isn't he? There is no telling.
何やら and どうやら
Straight onto a question word, with no の, やら makes one vague word: 何やら is "something or other", like 何か. どうやら is a word in itself: "it looks as if".
The two of them are whispering about something or other.
It looks as if we have taken a wrong turn.
Close neighbours
たり～たりするN5
The plain list of things you do, with no feeling that it was a lot.
On my days off I read, go for walks, that sort of thing.
だの～だのN1
A list of what someone keeps saying, and you are tired of hearing it.
He says he is busy, he is tired and so on, and makes no move to help.
Check yourself
1What is this person saying?
今月は
Choose an answer to see why.
2Which one fits?
会議が
Choose an answer to see why.
More sentences
On the day of the move, what with carrying boxes, putting furniture together and the rest, there was no time to sit down.
Now that I am leaving home, I am full of excitement and worry all at once.
I wonder where the children are and what they are up to right now.
How such a misunderstanding ever came about is beyond me.