Japanese Grammar: とても～ない (totemo…nai) – “Simply Cannot”

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Japanese Grammar: とても～ない (totemo…nai) – “Simply Cannot”
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Cannot possibly; simply cannot; hardly.

🎯 Primary Function

To emphasize that something is impossible or extremely difficult to achieve regardless of effort.

📋 Grammar Structure

とても + Verb (Negative potential form)
とても + い-adjective (negative form)
とても + な-adjective (negative form) / とても無理だ
とても + Verb (Negative Potential Form / Negative Form)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used in business or formal meetings to politely but firmly state that a request is impossible to fulfill.

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used among friends to express being overwhelmed or unable to do something.

✍️ Written Language

Used in essays or reports to emphasize the difficulty of a specific situation.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very common in daily conversation, often paired with potential negative forms.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing Inability
Used when something is beyond your physical or mental capacity.
Example: とても食べきれない (Simply cannot eat it all)
Expressing Strong Denial
Used to emphasize that a fact or situation is unbelievable.
Example: とても信じられない (Cannot possibly believe)
Expressing Practical Impossibility
Used when logic or circumstances dictate that an outcome is impossible.
Example: とても間に合わない (Simply won’t make it in time)
📊
Frequency
High
🎚️
Difficulty
N3
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N3 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N3 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
この仕事は一人ではとても終わらない。
Furigana: このしごとはひとりではとてもおわらない。
Romaji: Kono shigoto wa hitori de wa totemo owaranai.
English: I simply can’t finish this work by myself.
Example #2
そんな高い時計は、私にはとても買えません。
Furigana: そんなたかいとけいは、わたしにはとてもかえません。
Romaji: Sonna takai tokei wa, watashi ni wa totemo kaemasen.
English: I simply cannot afford to buy such an expensive watch.
Example #3
彼の言ったことは、とても信じられない。
Furigana: かれのいったことは、とてもしんじられない。
Romaji: Kare no itta koto wa, totemo shinjirarenai.
English: I just can’t believe what he said.
Example #4
試験の範囲が広すぎて、一晩ではとても覚えきれない。
Furigana: しけんのはんいがひろすぎて、ひとばんではとてもおぼえきれない。
Romaji: Shiken no han’i ga hirosugite, hitoban de wa totemo oboekirenai.
English: The exam scope is so wide that I can’t possibly memorize it all in one night.
Example #5
この暑さでは、外でテニスなんてとてもできない。
Furigana: このあつさでは、そとでテニスなんてとてもできない。
Romaji: Kono atsusa de wa, soto de tenisu nante totemo dekinai.
English: With this heat, there’s no way I can play tennis outside.
Example #6
あんなに怖い映画は、一人でとても見られません。
Furigana: あんなにこわいえいがは、ひとりでとてもみられません。
Romaji: Anna ni kowai eiga wa, hitori de totemo miraremasen.
English: I simply can’t watch such a scary movie alone.
Example #7
あんな美人には、とても話しかけられないよ。
Furigana: あんなびじんには、とてもはなしかけられないよ。
Romaji: Anna bijin ni wa, totemo hanashikakerarenai yo.
English: I couldn’t possibly strike up a conversation with such a beautiful woman.
Example #8
１０キロも走るなんて、私にはとても無理だ。
Furigana: １０キロもはしるなんて、わたしにはとてもむりだ。
Romaji: Ju-kiro mo hashiru nante, watashi ni wa totemo muri da.
English: Running as much as 10 kilometers is simply impossible for me.
Example #9
プロの歌手と比べるなんて、とても及ばない。
Furigana: プロのかしゅとくらべるなんて、とてもおよばない。
Romaji: Puro no kashu to kuraberu nante, totemo oyobanai.
English: Comparing myself to a professional singer is simply out of the question.
Example #10
昨日の数学の問題は難しくて、私にはとても解けなかった。
Furigana: きのうのすうがくのもんだいはむずかしくて、わたしにはとてもとけなかった。
Romaji: Kinou no suugaku no mondai wa muzukashikute, watashi ni wa totemo tokenakatta.
English: Yesterday’s math problems were so difficult that I couldn’t possibly solve them.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Emphasis on Impossibility
It adds a nuance of ‘no matter how hard I try’.
Example: とてもできない。 (Simply cannot do it.)
Degree of Difficulty
It emphasizes that the degree of difficulty is too high.
Example: とても～できない vs. ぜんぜん～できない (Totally cannot). ‘Totemo’ implies a sense of being overwhelmed by the scale or difficulty.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ とても買える。
✅ とても買えない。
While ‘totemo’ usually means ‘very’ (positive), when followed by a negative, it changes meaning to ‘simply cannot’. Beginners often forget to use the negative form.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral to Polite. Adding ‘desu/masu’ makes it suitable for formal settings.
Social Situations: Often used when turning down a task or responding to an overwhelming offer.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese. Universal across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

とても～ない vs. ぜんぜん～ない
‘Totemo’ focuses on the degree of impossibility or the overwhelming nature of the task. ‘Zenzen’ is a flat ‘not at all’.
When to use: Use ‘totemo’ when you want to express that something is ‘too much’ for you.

📝 Conjugation Notes

Most frequently used with the potential negative form (～ない, ～えない, ～られない). It can also be used with ‘muri da’ (impossible).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Stress the ‘totemo’ slightly to emphasize the feeling of impossibility.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘totemo’ as ‘very’ and ‘nai’ as ‘not’. Put them together to mean ‘very not possible’ or ‘simply not happening’.

Other Grammar

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