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Okay, according to the (monolingual) dictionary that I use, てやる is used to indicate "doing something with strong will or determination" (my translation) e.g. 飛び降りてやる！ But this definition seems a little too vague for me; is there anything that it actually translates to in English?

I've seen some sources claim that it still means "do" but I'm unsure, because I have come across constructs like やってやる！

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「Verb + てやる」 has two (very) different meanings/usages.

  1. To offer to do something in a patronizing or condescending tone as to demand gratitude.

  2. To (proactively) perform an action so as to prove one's ability to others.

OP seems to be talking about #2 above.

My own example sentences:

  1. 「[心配]{しんぱい}するな。１[年]{ねん}くらいオレが[食]{た}べさせてやる。」 = "Don't worry. I'll feed (or 'take care of') you for a year or so."
  2. 「[見]{み}てろ！２[年以内]{ねんいない}に[大]{だい}リーガーになってやる！」 = "Be watching. I will be a major leaguer within two years!"
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  • Thanks for your answer. I know both meanings, but I was wondering if there was a better explanation than the slightly rigid one offered by the monolingual dictionary. In other words, is there an English word it translates to?
    – user4096
    Feb 5, 2014 at 15:17

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