Posted inN3 Grammar

Mastering とても〜ない: Expressing Absolute Impossibility in Japanese (JLPT N3 Grammar)

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Expresses that something is utterly impossible, extremely difficult, or beyond one’s capability/expectation.

🎯 Primary Function

To emphasize the extreme degree of difficulty or impossibility when something cannot be done or is not the case.

📋 Grammar Structure

とても + Verb (ない form, often potential negative) / い-Adjective (く + ない) / な-Adjective (で + ない) / Noun (で + ない)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in both formal and informal contexts, though formal situations might prefer more polite or indirect phrasing depending on the specific nuance.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in everyday conversation.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently used in written Japanese, including essays, articles, and dialogue in fiction.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Widely used in spoken Japanese to express strong negation of possibility or capability.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing something is too difficult/heavy/far etc., to manage.
Used when an adverbial description (like difficult, heavy, far) precedes a negative verb, indicating the degree makes the action impossible.
Example: この荷物は重すぎて、私一人ではとても運べない。 (Kono nimotsu wa omosugite, watashi hitori de wa totemo hakobenai.) This luggage is too heavy, I absolutely cannot carry it by myself.
Expressing disbelief or shock at something being impossible/untrue.
Used when the speaker finds it hard to believe that something is or isn’t the case due to the extreme nature of the situation.
Example: うそ！あの彼が犯人だなんて、とても信じられない。 (Uso! Ano kare ga hannin da nante, totemo shinjirarenai.) No way! I absolutely cannot believe that he is the culprit.
Describing something as utterly unsuitable or unmanageable.
Used when something is so much of a certain quality that it makes an action impossible or the situation unacceptable.
Example: こんなに汚い部屋では、とても人を呼べない。 (Konna ni kitanai heya de wa, totemo hito o yobenai.) In such a dirty room, I absolutely cannot invite anyone over.
📊
Frequency
Very common, especially in spoken Japanese, when expressing strong impossibility or inability.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N3 (essential for advanced learners)
Example Sentences
この本は難しくて、今の私にはとても理解できない。
This book is too difficult, I absolutely cannot understand it right now.
今日のテスト、全然勉強しなかったから、とても合格できそうにない。
I didn’t study at all for today’s test, so it looks like I absolutely cannot pass.
東京は人が多すぎて、とても静かに暮らせない。
Tokyo has too many people, it’s impossible to live quietly there.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Emphasis on Impossibility/Extreme Difficulty
The word とても (totemo), usually meaning “very,” here intensifies the negative, indicating that something is *beyond* possibility or ability, not just “not very~”.
Example: 例：寒くて外に出られない。(Samukute soto ni derarenai.) – I can’t go outside because it’s cold. 例：寒すぎてとても外に出られない。(Samusugite totemo soto ni derarenai.) – It’s too cold, I absolutely cannot go outside.
Frequent Use with Potential Negative
It is most commonly paired with the potential negative form of verbs (~られない), as it directly expresses inability or impossibility.
Example: これは高すぎて、とても買えない。(Kore wa takasugite, totemo kaenai.) – This is too expensive, I absolutely cannot buy it.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Confusing with “not very~”
✅ とても〜ない means “cannot possibly~” or “too ~ to ~”, not simply “not very ~”. For “not very ~”, you would use constructions like あまり〜ない (amari ~ nai) or そんなに〜ない (sonnani ~ nai).
とても美味しい (totemo oishii) means “very delicious”. とても美味しくない (totemo oishikunai) *can* mean “not delicious at all” in some contexts, but とても食べられない (totemo taberarenai) means “cannot possibly eat (too much, too difficult, etc.)”. Context is key.
❌ Using it with simple negatives where impossibility isn’t the point
✅ Only use とても〜ない when the situation truly makes the action impossible or the state utterly untrue/unsuitable.
If you just mean “I didn’t eat dinner,” say 「晩ご飯を食べませんでした」 (Ban gohan o tabemasen deshita), not 「とても晩ご飯を食べませんでした」 (Totemo ban gohan o tabemasen deshita).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Generally versatile. Can be used politely or casually depending on the verb/adjective ending and overall sentence structure.
Social Situations: Used in various social situations to express strong opinions about capability, difficulty, or impossibility.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese pattern, no significant regional variations in structure, though specific vocabulary used might differ.

🔍 Subtle Differences

とても〜ない vs. 〜すぎて〜できない
〜すぎて〜できない explicitly states the cause of impossibility (“too X, so cannot Y”). とても〜ない strongly states the *result* of impossibility (“absolutely cannot Y”), often implying the cause is due to an extreme degree, but doesn’t always explicitly state the “too X” part.
When to use: Use 〜すぎて〜できない when you want to clearly state the reason (being “too X”). Use とても〜ない when you want to emphasize the strong impossibility itself, regardless of whether the explicit “too X” is stated or implied.
とても〜ない vs. わけがない / はずがない
わけがない and はずがない express strong denial of probability or expectation (“no way that…”, “it shouldn’t be that…”). とても〜ない expresses strong denial of *possibility* or *capability* (“cannot possibly…”, “impossible to…”).
When to use: Use わけがない / はずがない for denying likelihood or expectation. Use とても〜ない for denying physical or practical possibility/ability.
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When to use: undefined

📝 Conjugation Notes

Most frequently paired with the potential negative form of verbs (e.g., 飲む → 飲める → 飲めない; 行く → 行ける → 行けない). Can also attach to い-adjectives + くない, な-adjectives + でない, and Nouns + でない, though these forms are less common for expressing the core “impossible to do” meaning and might lean towards “not ~ at all” or “far from being ~”.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Ensure to pronounce とても (totemo) with slight emphasis to highlight the strength of the negation that follows.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of とても as adding “absolutely” or “utterly” to the negative form, turning a simple “cannot” into “cannot possibly”. Associate it with extreme difficulty or impossibility.

Practice Exercises
この問題は難しすぎて、＿＿＿解けない。
とても
あまり
少し
全然
彼は日本語がペラペラだから、JLPT N1に合格できない＿＿＿。
とても
そうにない
わけがない
すぎている
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