Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Cannot; unable to; impossible to.
🎯 Primary Function
To express that something is impossible, often due to inherent nature, circumstances, or logical reasons, rather than a simple lack of ability. It carries a strong, definitive nuance of impossibility.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb ます-stem + 得ない (えない) (Less common positive form: Verb ます-stem + 得る (える/うる) – possible)
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Very common in formal settings.
Informal Situations
Less common, can sound stiff.
Written Language
Frequently used in written language (articles, reports, essays).
Spoken Language
Used in formal speeches or serious discussions, but less frequent in casual conversation.
💡 Common Applications
Stating the impossibility of a future event.
Used to declare that a certain outcome or event absolutely cannot happen.
Example: 今から行っても、会議に間に合うことは**あり得ない**。(Even if we go now, it’s impossible to be on time for the meeting.)
Expressing a strong sense of incredulity or something being beyond imagination.
Used when something is so unexpected or shocking that one feels it “cannot be.”
Example: 彼がそんな嘘をつくなんて、私には全く**信じられない**。(That he would tell such a lie is completely unbelievable to me.)
Describing something that is inherently difficult or impossible to grasp/achieve.
Used for abstract concepts or complex situations that are beyond understanding or reach.
Example: 未来を正確に予測することは誰にも**知り得ない**ことだ。(Precisely predicting the future is something no one can know.)
Frequency
Moderate (especially in formal written Japanese).
Difficulty
N2.
Example Sentences
この計画が成功する可能性は、現状では**あり得ない**。
Given the current situation, there’s no possibility of this plan succeeding / This plan cannot possibly succeed in the current situation.
彼がそんなに残酷なことができるとは、**考えられない**ことだ。
That he could do something so cruel is unthinkable / something that cannot be imagined.
全ての真実を今すぐ**知り得る**人はいないだろう。
There is probably no one who can know all the truth right now.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Strong Impossibility
~得ない conveys a stronger, more absolute sense of impossibility than simple negation (~ない) or ~できない. It suggests something is impossible due to its nature, logic, or inherent circumstances.
Example: 明日雨が降らないだろう。(It probably won’t rain tomorrow – simple prediction/likelihood). vs. タイムトラベルは物理的に**あり得ない**。(Time travel is physically impossible – strong, inherent impossibility).
Formal Context
This pattern is primarily used in formal speech and writing. Using it in casual conversation might sound unnatural or overly stiff.
Example: (Formal/Written) そのようなリスクを無視することは**あり得ない**。(Ignoring such risks is impossible). vs. (Casual) え、それ無理だよ。(Eh, that’s impossible/unreasonable).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using ~得ない in very casual situations.
✅ Use simpler negation like ~ない or ~できない, or other phrases like ~わけがない (wake ga nai), ~はずがない (hazu ga nai) in casual talk, depending on the nuance.
~得ない is formal and can sound unnatural casually.
❌ Confusing the nuance with simple inability (~できない).
✅ Remember ~得ない implies impossibility due to fundamental reasons, while ~できない is general lack of ability or means.
Compare “I can’t lift this rock” (この岩は持ち上げられない – simple inability) with “Humans cannot live without air” (人間は空気なしでは生き**得ない** – inherent impossibility).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Formal/Polite.
Social Situations: News reports, academic papers, official statements, serious discussions, formal presentations.
Regional Variations: No significant regional variations for this pattern.
🔍 Subtle Differences
~得ない vs. ~できない
~得ない expresses objective or inherent impossibility (cannot *be*); ~できない expresses general inability (cannot *do*).
When to use: Use ~得ない for situations that are fundamentally impossible. Use ~できない for lack of skill, means, or opportunity.
~得ない vs. ~わけがない / ~はずがない
~得ない is a strong, often objective statement of impossibility. ~わけがない / ~はずがない express a strong subjective belief that something is impossible or highly unlikely (no reason for it to be true).
When to use: Use ~得ない when stating something is impossible based on facts, nature, or logic. Use ~わけがない / ~はずがない when arguing against something based on strong personal conviction or common sense.
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When to use: undefined
📝 Conjugation Notes
Attaches to the ます-stem (連用形) of verbs. Examples: 来る (kuru) -> 来ます (kimasu) -> 来得ない (きえない). する (suru) -> します (shimasu) -> し得ない (しえない).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Read as えない (enai). 得る is often read える (eru) or うる (uru), especially in compounds like ありうる (ariuru), しうる (shiuru).
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of 得 as “gain” or “obtain”. 得る (eru) means “can obtain” or “possible”. 得ない (enai) means “cannot obtain” or “impossible”. Connect the meaning of 得 (toku) with the possibility/impossibility concept.
Practice Exercises
今から電車に乗っても、約束の時間に間に合うことは\_\_\_\_。
できえない
しえない
ありえない
かんがええない
彼の真意を完全に\_\_\_\_ことは、誰にとっても難しい。
しりえない
できえない
ありえない
考えられない
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