What is the best way to express this nuance of "patience"?


I want to express "patience" in the sense of "I don't have the patience lately
to read a long novel." It's uncertain what exactly is the problem -- am I
nervous? am I preoccupied with other thoughts? -- but the nuance of "patience"
here will be understood by native English speakers. I've consulted
dictionaries and read discussions about Japanese words for "patience"; but
when I use them for this meaning of "patience", I get confused looks. What
would be the best way to convey my intended meaning?




> "I don't have the patience lately to read a long novel."

I'm not very proficient at English connotation, but based on the context
below:

> what I'm looking for is not really about "will power," in the usual sense of
> completing an unpleasant task, or refraining from an act of immediate
> pleasure. It's more of being in a state of mental equanimity that permits
> leisurely pursuits like reading a long book, or even putting together
> furniture from Ikea.

there might be several strategies to form Japanese expression.

  * > 最近長い小説を読む気が起きない  
>  最近長い小説を読む気にならない  
>  最近長い小説を読むやる気が（わかない／出ない）

[verb] + 気 roughly means "feeling like [verb]-ing" and やる気 means "will to do",
so they can be used in the situation where you cannot bring yourself to do
something.

  * > 最近長い小説を読む気力が（続か）ない  
>  最近長い小説を読む根気が続かない

They would sound like you become "short-winded" and cannot make it to the end
if you try. 根気 may be closest to translate "patience" but it usually describes
one's character that is not thought to fluctuate much, so 最近根気がない sounds a
little off.

  * > 最近長い小説を読んでいられない

～ていられる has a nuance "able to keep an action (or non-action) for a longer
while" that sometimes might be suitable for the word "patient". e.g. 待っていられない
"can't wait (anymore)", "be impatient"

  * > 最近長い小説を読む集中力がない

It is a freer translation where 集中力 literally means "ability of concentration"
thus implies you cannot exclude other things from your mind and absorb
yourself in the activity.




> "I don't have the patience lately to read a long novel."

I'm not very proficient at English connotation, but based on the context
below:

> what I'm looking for is not really about "will power," in the usual sense of
> completing an unpleasant task, or refraining from an act of immediate
> pleasure. It's more of being in a state of mental equanimity that permits
> leisurely pursuits like reading a long book, or even putting together
> furniture from Ikea.

there might be several strategies to form Japanese expression.

  * > 最近長い小説を読む気が起きない  
>  最近長い小説を読む気にならない  
>  最近長い小説を読むやる気が（わかない／出ない）

[verb] + 気 roughly means "feeling like [verb]-ing" and やる気 means "will to do",
so they can be used in the situation where you cannot bring yourself to do
something.

  * > 最近長い小説を読む気力が（続か）ない  
>  最近長い小説を読む根気が続かない

They would sound like you become "short-winded" and cannot make it to the end
if you try. 根気 may be closest to translate "patience" but it usually describes
one's character that is not thought to fluctuate much, so 最近根気がない sounds a
little off.

  * > 最近長い小説を読んでいられない

～ていられる has a nuance "able to keep an action (or non-action) for a longer
while" that sometimes might be suitable for the word "patient". e.g. 待っていられない
"can't wait (anymore)", "be impatient"

  * > 最近長い小説を読む集中力がない

It is a freer translation where 集中力 literally means "ability of concentration"
thus implies you cannot exclude other things from your mind and absorb
yourself in the activity.

