For one reason or another ...

[anglychanin.livejournal.com]

We say

For one reason or another I am going to London
For one reason or another I have decided to buy a dark suit
For one reason or another I am going to see the doctor

This is a code

I am going to London but I'm not going to explain why I am going there
I have decided to buy the dark suit, but I can't really explain why I don't fancy the light coloured one
I am going to see the doctor but I'm embarrassed to tell you the reason

How do Russians say "For one reason or another...."  ?

Comments

[fortsas.livejournal.com]

What an interesting question!

I'm a native speaker and I'll try to give my versions. But I wonder what the Russian linguists would say.

A rather official version would be "по ряду причин". We can also say "по некоторым причинам".
It is also possible to rephrase the sentences with "I won't tell you why" context using the particle "кое-". For example, "Мне нужно кое-зачем съездить в Лондон", "Я кое-с-чем иду к врачу". I don't think these are truly correct phrases, but we CAN actually phrase like that )

And in the context "I don't know myself why" it is possible to use "почему-то". For example, "Почему-то мне больше понравился темный, а не светлый костюм".

[el-cardenal.livejournal.com]

+1

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Mm, I believe кое- is used when you know what you are speaking about, so I would not say "Я кое с чем иду к врачу" (there is no hyphen there, btw).

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Мне нужно кое-зачем съездить в Лондон (the previous commentor was right)
Мне нужно съездить в Лондон за одним делом (a colloquial variant)

Почему-то я решил купить тёмный костюм

The last sentence is pretty embarassing, I can only think of such an extended variant:
Не знаю, что со мной, но надо сходить к врачу.

[nemica.livejournal.com]

I would say "Мне нужно съездить в Лондон по одному делу" not "за одним делом".

To go somewhere "за чем-то" means to buy/to get something.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's better

[aromanov.livejournal.com]

I think the most universal phrase in this case could be "так или иначе". It sounds quite confident.

Так или иначе, я поеду в Лондон.
Так или иначе, я решил купить темный костюм.
Так или иначе, мне нужно сходить к врачу.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

Так или иначе is more like 'anyway'. These variants may be used only in specific context (with some discussion before), out of this context they make no sence; you will never start a narration or conversation with так или иначе, for example.

[aromanov.livejournal.com]

And why can't you start a conversation with "так или иначе"? It just means you had some doubts.

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

In the first sentence there are no doubts.
And, just imagine, you meet a friend, and just after mutual how-do-you-do's you declare: "Ну, так или иначе, мне нужно сходить к врачу".
Your friend, unless he is confided into your doubts, will not understand you.

[fortsas.livejournal.com]

My opinion - "Так или иначе" would be fine if there had been a preceding discussion of the question with some arguments pro and against "going to London".

[oryx_and_crake]

This phrase has a completely different meaning.

[archaicos.livejournal.com]

When the possible reasons are known to the other party, but you don't want to specify the actual one or it just doesn't matter, you can say:
Так или иначе [я еду]/[мне нужно поехать] в Лондон.

The same construct can be used when you don't want to go into details or you simply don't recall them:
Так или иначе он купил чудной костюм. = he didn't plan/want to, but ended up buying it for some reason/anyway (and you don't state the reason or the whole story behind the decision to buy it).

[oryx_and_crake]

I don't agree. Так или иначе is used if the person was in doubt first whether he goes or not, etc. It has nothing to do with reasons.

[oryx_and_crake]

кое за чем is a colloquial version.
More formal will be по ряду причин
(По ряду причин мне нужно сходить к врачу. Мне нужно кое за чем сходить в магазин.)

[towarysc.livejournal.com]

From the topicstarter's code I had an impression that there is only one reason to visit the doctor or to go to London. In the second sentence there is no clear reason at all. I don't think that "по ряду причин" matches here.

[semicvetic.livejournal.com]

"по некоторым причинам ..."

[rower.livejournal.com]

which in fact means "I have my reasons to do so". :)

[semicvetic.livejournal.com]

exactly) "...but don't want to say" =)

[anglychanin.livejournal.com]

Thank you everyone.

[rower.livejournal.com]

i have a question. when you say "for one reason or another..." you really can or can not explain why? or the point is that you are NOT going to tell why, you are just doing the following ?

[anglychanin.livejournal.com]

"For one reason or another...."

can be replaced by the phrase

"I am not going to tell you the reason, but ..."

Maybe I don't know, maybe I do know but I don't want to say.