Meaning & usage
だに emphasizes that even the smallest mention or thought of something triggers a strong feeling, and with a negative it means not even that minimal action occurred. It follows a noun when paired with a negative predicate, as in 想像だにしない or 一言だに言わず, and it follows the dictionary form of a verb before an emotive predicate, as in 考えるだに恐ろしい. It is literary and formal, rarely used in speech, and a noun followed by だに must be completed by a negative verb.
Example sentences 5
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それは予想だにしない出来事だった。
That was an unexpected event.
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こんなことになるなんて、想像だにしなかった。
I never imagined this would happen.
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予想だにしない経験をしました。
I had an experience I never thought I'd have.
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考えるだに恐ろしい事故だった。
It was an accident too frightening even to think about.
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彼は一言だに言わず出た。
He left without saying even a single word.
In past JLPT papers
This came up in 1 past exam question.
