How is 信じる being conjugated here?


> 信じようと信じまいと Believe it or not

How is 信じる being conjugated here? I am unfamilar with the stem + まい pattern,
if anyone could explain the ins and outs of that, or provide a more literal
translation if that would make it easier to comprehend. Any relevant grammar
terms in Japanese are appreciated. Thank you.




~まい is the negative volitional form. Take a look at the ~まい construction on
[Tae Kim's Guide](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/volitional2)

In a nutshell:

  * ~まい expresses negative intention.

  * ~まい appends itself to the verb stem for 一段 verbs, and just after the verb for 五段 verbs.

> 一段: 信じる > 信じまい
>
> 五段: 行く > 行くまい

  * You cannot append the polite ending ~ます after ~まい. But ~ますまい is possible.

  * Not commonly used in spoken form.

Negative volition can also be expressed by ~のはやめよう (can be used in spoken
Japanese):

  * 行くのはやめよう (Let's not go)

  * ~するのはやめよう (Let's not do ~)




~まい is the negative volitional form. Take a look at the ~まい construction on
[Tae Kim's Guide](http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/volitional2)

In a nutshell:

  * ~まい expresses negative intention.

  * ~まい appends itself to the verb stem for 一段 verbs, and just after the verb for 五段 verbs.

> 一段: 信じる > 信じまい
>
> 五段: 行く > 行くまい

  * You cannot append the polite ending ~ます after ~まい. But ~ますまい is possible.

  * Not commonly used in spoken form.

Negative volition can also be expressed by ~のはやめよう (can be used in spoken
Japanese):

  * 行くのはやめよう (Let's not go)

  * ~するのはやめよう (Let's not do ~)

