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1. ガラス窓のこちら、レジの内側に坐って、見るともなしに赤いアウディを眺めていた喜一は思わずそう呟つぶやいた。 

  2. 運転席の男の話にしばらく頷いたり首を傾げたりしていたアルバイトが、困った顔になって喜一の方を見たからだった。

a) In the first sentence, 見るともなしに赤いアウディを眺めていた, I suppose it means looking at
the red car without looking, but doesn't this sound illogical?

b) In the second sentence, 運転席の男の話にしばらく頷いたり首を傾げたりしていたアルバイトが, I am confused by
this phrase, does it mean nods and tilts one's head towards the words spoken
by the man in the driver's seat? Then what does アルバイト mean here? Seems アルバイト
can't fit in this context.

c) 困った顔になって喜一の方を見たからだった。Does it mean because he saw the troubled face of 喜一?
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2018-01-31T08:55:20.610
56333
2018-01-31T10:49:31.620
27310
question
translation
Breaking down of complex sentence
> a) In the first sentence, 見{み}るともなしに赤{あか}いアウディを眺{なが}めていた, I suppose it means
> looking at the red car without looking, but doesn't this sound illogical?

It is logical and natural-sounding. We even say 「見るともなく見る」, which I am sure
will drive you up the wall.

「見る」, in this context, means " ** _to look hard_** ", " ** _to look with an
intention_** ", " ** _to really watch_** ", etc.

「眺める」, however, means " ** _to gaze casually (without an intention of any
sort)_** ".

That is why you can 眺める an object without really/seriously 見るing it.

> "喜一, who was gazing at the red Audi without really watching it, murmured
> ~~~"

Hope this sounds logical to you as well.

> b) In the second sentence, 運転席の男の話にしばらく頷いたり首を傾げたりしていたアルバイトが, I am confused
> by this phrase, does it mean nods and tilts one's head towards the words
> spoken by the man in the driver's seat? Then what does アルバイト mean here?
> Seems アルバイト can't fit in this context.

Again, the phrase makes perfect sense. Here is why.

「アルバイト」 here means a " ** _part-time worker_** "; It refers to a person and
**not** a job/position. I suspect this is where you made a mistake. Why would
professional authors just throw in words that do not fit in the context in any
language/culture?

> "(It was because) the part-time employee who had been nodding and tilting
> his head towards the words spoken by the man in the driver's seat ~~~~"

Finally,

> c) 困った顔になって喜一の方を見たからだった。Does it mean because he saw the troubled face of 喜一?

No, it does not. It is the part-time employee (with a troubled face) who
looked in the direction of 喜一.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-31T10:08:20.490
56334
2018-01-31T10:49:31.620
2018-01-31T10:49:31.620
56333
answer