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Decoded Slug: Noun でなくてなんだろう (〜de nakute nandarou)
Japanese JLPT Grammar Point
Noun でなくてなんだろう (〜de nakute nandarou)
Noun でなくてなんだろう (〜de nakute nandarou)
Short explanation:
Expresses the speaker's strong belief that something is certainly the case.
Formation:
Noun + でなくてなんだろう
Examples:
これが真実でなくてなんだろう。
Kore ga shinjitsu de nakute nandarou.
If this isn't the truth, then what is?
彼がリーダーでなくてなんだろう。
Kare ga riidaa de nakute nandarou.
If he isn't the leader, then who is?
これが愛でなくてなんだろう。
Kore ga ai de nakute nandarou.
If this isn't love, then what is?
これが最高のレストランでなくてなんだろう。
Kore ga saikou no resutoran de nakute nandarou.
If this isn't the best restaurant, then what is?
Long explanation:
The structure Noun + でなくてなんだろう is used to strongly assert or question that something is certainly the case. It can be roughly translated to English as 'if not... then what would it be?'. It emphasizes the speaker's belief, in the form of a rhetorical question, that no other possibility exists.