At a glance
Vる ともなしに V means doing something absentmindedly, without really meaning to. It is a written, literary expression, mostly used with verbs like 見る, 聞く and 考える.
Verb (dictionary form) + ともなしに + same verb
見るともなしにテレビを見ていた。 I was watching TV without really paying attention to it.
How to form it
The first verb is always in the dictionary form. The second verb can take any form, most often ～ていた.
| Verb group | First verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| う-verb | 聞く → 聞くともなしに | 聞くともなしにラジオを聞いていた。 |
| る-verb | 見る → 見るともなしに | 見るともなしに外を見ていた。 |
| る-verb | 考える → 考えるともなしに | 考えるともなしに昔のことを考えていた。 |
- Attaches to verbs only, not to adjectives or nouns.
- Register: written and formal. It appears mainly in novels and essays.