Trying making a bet with 〜てみる

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Chiya and Cocoa prepare to play chess at an indoor hot spring.

千夜(ちや):
「せっかくだから何(なに)か賭(か)けてみない?」
“Since we have the chance, want to try betting something?”
Literal: “Since we have the chance, won't we try betting something?”
「私(わたし)が勝(か)ったらティッピーが頭(あたま)まで濡(ぬ)れたらどうなるか見(み)せてもらうのはどう?」
“If I win, how about letting me see what Tippy looks like completely soaked?”

Key Points

1賭(か)けてみない invites Chino to try a wager
  • 賭(か)ける takes the て form before みる, giving the sense of testing the idea by doing it.
2The negative question functions as a proposal
  • 〜てみない? means “want to try…?” rather than predicting that Chino will not act.
3せっかくだから treats the game as an opportunity
  • Chiya treats the game as a useful opportunity, and だから gives that opportunity as her reason for proposing a wager.
4私(わたし)が勝(か)ったら sets the condition for the stake
  • The first 〜たら means “if I win”. A second 〜たら appears inside the question about Tippy getting soaked.
5見(み)せてもらう frames the result as something shown for her
  • Chiya proposes receiving the favor of seeing what Tippy looks like when wet.

Vocabulary

(With much effort)

せっかく marks an effort or valuable opportunity that should not go to waste. Depending on the sentence, it can mean “after taking the trouble” or “since we have the chance”.

(Something)

何(なに)か means something or anything. It can also introduce an uncertain question, as in “Is something wrong?”

(To see)

見(み)る means to see or look at something. It can also mean to examine its condition or nature.

(I)

私(わたし) means “I” or “me”. It is the standard first-person pronoun in polite speech and is also common in casual speech among women.

(Head)

頭(あたま) means the head of the body. It can also mean the top or beginning of something.

See Also

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