Learn Hardcore Japanese: kanozyo ha tonikaku yuugata no ibento ni syussekisitai. - She wants to attend the evening event anyway.

とにかく means “anyway,” “at any rate,” or “in any case,” signaling that other details or problems are being set aside. It emphasizes determination or priority: “She wants to attend, period.”

Softer/neutral alternatives: ともかく, いずれにせよ
Stronger determination: どうしても (“no matter what”), ぜひ (“definitely / by all means”)
Don’t confuse with とりあえず (“for now/for the time being”), which implies a temporary first step, not firm determination.

Where can とにかく go in the sentence?

It’s a sentence adverb and is flexible:

とにかく彼女は夕方のイベントに出席したい。 (emphasizes the whole statement)
彼女はとにかく夕方のイベントに出席したい。 (natural and common)
彼女は夕方のイベントにとにかく出席したい。 (focuses the “anyway” right before the want) All are grammatical; placement slightly shifts emphasis, not meaning.

Why is は used after 彼女? Could I use が?

は marks the topic: “As for her, …” It’s the standard choice in a stand‑alone statement about someone’s desire.

が strongly marks the grammatical subject and is used when contrasting, focusing, or inside larger structures: e.g., 出席したいのは彼女だ (“The one who wants to attend is her”) or 彼女が出席したいイベント (“the event that she wants to attend”). In a simple main clause like this, 彼女は is most natural.

Does 彼女 mean “she” or “girlfriend”?

Both are possible. 彼女 can be:

the third‑person pronoun “she,” or
“girlfriend,” especially when the speaker is referring to their partner. Context decides. In real conversation, Japanese often avoids pronouns altogether and uses names or roles.

Why is it 夕方のイベント and not 夕方にイベント?

夕方のイベント is a noun‑noun link using の: “an evening event.”
夕方に is a time particle meaning “in the evening,” so you’d typically need a verb: 夕方にイベントがある/行われる (“There is/It’s held in the evening”).
Both are fine, but 夕方のイベント is a compact way to label the event by time.

Why is the particle に used before 出席したい? Could I use を/へ/で?

With 出席する (“to attend [a meeting/ceremony/class]”), the event you attend is marked by に:

Pattern: X に出席する (e.g., 会議に出席する).
を: not used here.
へ: sounds odd; へ marks direction but 出席 is not movement.
で: marks location of an action, not the event you attend. So イベントに出席する is the natural pattern.

Is 出席する the best verb for “attend an event”? What about 参加する / 行く / 出る?

It depends on nuance:

出席する: formal “attend” (meetings, ceremonies, lectures, classes). For an イベント, it fits if the event is formal/organized.
参加する: “participate (actively).” Great for competitions, workshops, hackathons, marathons. Pattern: X に参加する.
行く: neutral “go (to), attend” as an attendee: イベントに行きたい feels natural for general events.
出る: “appear in/take part as a performer/contestant” (e.g., 大会に出る, “compete in a tournament”). Choose based on how formal and how active the involvement is.

Is it okay to use 〜たい for a third person like 彼女は…出席したい?

Textbooks often say 〜たい expresses the speaker’s own desire. For third‑person desire:

Quote it: 彼女は出席したいと言っている (“She says she wants to attend”).
Use たがっている: 彼女は出席したがっている (“She seems/wants to attend,” from observable signs). That said, in modern usage 彼女は…出席したい appears when the speaker confidently reports her inner wish (e.g., narrating known information). If you want to be careful/neutral, prefer quoting or たがっている.

How can I make this more polite or natural in conversation?

Options:

Polite but still “desire”: 彼女は、とにかく夕方のイベントに出席したいです。
Reported desire: 彼女は、とにかく夕方のイベントに出席したいと言っています。
Observable desire: 彼女は、とにかく夕方のイベントに出席したがっています。
Intention/plan (not just want): 彼女は夕方のイベントに出席するつもりです／予定です。 Pick the one that matches what you mean (desire vs plan vs report).

Do I need だ or です after 出席したい?

〜たい behaves like an i‑adjective at the end of the clause:

Plain: 出席したい。 (no だ)
Polite: 出席したいです。 (add です, not だ) Common conjugations:
Negative: 出席したくない
Past: 出席したかった
Past negative: 出席したくなかった
Polite negatives: 出席したくありません／出席したくないです

How do you read and pronounce the sentence?

彼女（かのじょ, kanojo）
は (topic marker, pronounced “wa”)
とにかく（tonikaku）
夕方（ゆうがた, yūgata）
の (no)
イベント（ibento）
に (ni)
出席したい（しゅっせきしたい, shusseki shitai）

Full reading/romanization: Kanojo wa tonikaku yūgata no ibento ni shusseki shitai.

What’s the difference between 夕方, 晩, 夜, and 夕べ?

夕方: late afternoon to early evening (roughly 4–6/7 pm).
晩: evening/nighttime period after 夕方 (often used like “in the evening”).
夜: night (broader, later than 晩).
夕べ: “last evening/last night” (refers to the previous evening). So 夕方のイベント is earlier than something called 晩のイベント or 夜のイベント.

Can I move words around, like putting とにかく at the front or end?

Japanese word order is flexible for adverbs and adjuncts. These are all fine:

とにかく彼女は夕方のイベントに出席したい。
彼女はとにかく夕方のイベントに出席したい。
彼女は夕方のイベントにとにかく出席したい。 The core rule is that the verb ends the clause; moving とにかく adjusts emphasis but not core meaning.

Does 夕方のイベント mean “this evening’s event”?

Not necessarily. 夕方のイベント just labels it as an “evening event.” If you mean “this evening,” specify:

今日の夕方のイベント = this evening’s event (today)
今晩のイベント／今夜のイベント = tonight’s event Context often supplies which evening you mean.

Why are there spaces between the words here?

Japanese normally doesn’t use spaces. They’re added for learners to see word boundaries. A natural written version is: 彼女はとにかく夕方のイベントに出席したい。