Expressing non-feasibility
We learned how to
express feasibility in the section on the potential form quite a while ways
back. In this section, we'll learn some advanced and specialized ways to
express certain types of feasibility or the lack thereof. Like much of the
grammar in the Advanced Section, the grammar covered here is mostly used for
written works and rarely used in regular speech.
Expressing the inability to not do using 「～ざるを得ない」
Vocabulary
1. 得る 【え・る】 (ru-verb) - to
obtain
2. 意図 【い・と】 - intention; aim; design
3. する (exception) - to do
4. 来る 【く・る】 (exception) - to come
5. 食べる 【た・べる】 (ru-verb) - to eat
6. 行く 【い・く】 (u-verb) - to go
7. この - this （abbr. of これの）
8. テレビ - TV, television
9. これ - this
10. 以上 【い・じょう】 - greater or equal
11. 壊れる 【こわ・れる】 (ru-verb) - to
break
12. 新しい 【あたら・しい】(i-adj) - new
13. 買う 【か・う】 (u-verb) - to buy
14. ずっと - the whole time, all along
15. 我慢 【が・まん】 - tolerance; self-control
16. 状態 【じょう・たい】 - situation
17. 歯医者 【は・い・しゃ】 - dentist
18. 上司 【じょう・し】 - superior; boss
19. 話 【はなし】 - story
20. 聞く 【き・く】 (u-verb) - to ask; to listen
21. どうしても - by any means, no matter what
22. 海外 【かい・がい】 - overseas
This grammar is used
when there's something that just can't be helped and must be done. It is the
negative version of the grammar we previously covered for something that has to
be done. It uses the negative of the verb 「得る」 or "obtain", to roughly mean that "one cannot
obtain not doing of an action". This means that you
can't not do something even if you wanted to. As a result of the use of
double negatives, this grammar carries a slight suggestion that you really
don't want to do it, but you have to because it can't be helped. Really, the
negative connotation is the only difference between this grammar and the
grammar we covered in this "have to" section. That,
and the fact that this grammar is fancier and more advanced.
This grammar uses an
archaic negative form of verbs that ends in 「～ざる」. It is really not used in modern Japanese with the exception of
this grammar and some expressions such as 「意図せざる」. The rules for conjugation are the same as
the negative verbs, except this grammar attaches 「ざる」 instead. To reiterate, all you have to do is conjugate the verb
to the negative form and then replace the 「ない」 with 「ざる」. The two exception verbs are 「する」 which becomes 「せざる」 and 「くる」 which becomes 「こざる」. Finally, all that's left to be done is to
attach 「を得ない」 to the verb. It is also not uncommon to use
Hiragana instead of the Kanji.
Using 「～ざるを得ない」 for actions that must be done
·
To say that you can't
not do something replace the 「ない」 part of the negative verb with 「ざる」, then attach 「を得ない」 to the end of the verb.
Examples
1. 食る → 食べない → 食べざる → 食べ#12409;ざるを得ない
2. 行く → 行かない → 行かざる → 行かざるを得ない
·
Exceptions:
1. する → せざる → せざるをえない
2. くる → こざる → こざるをえない
Examples
1. このテレビがこれ以上壊れたら、新しいのを買わざるを得ないな。
If this TV breaks even more, there's no choice but to buy a new one.
2. ずっと我慢してきたが、この状態だと歯医者さんに行かざるを得ない。
I tolerated it all this time but in this situation, I can't
not go to the dentist.
3. 上司の話を聞くと、どうしても海外に出張をせざるを得ないようです。
Hearing the story from the boss, it seems like I can't not go
on a business trip overseas no matter what.
Expressing the inability to stop doing something using 「やむを得ない」
Vocabulary
1. 止む 【や・む】 (u-verb) - to stop
2. 仕方 【し・かた】 - way, method
3. ある (u-verb) - to exist (inanimate)
4. しょうがない - it can't be helped, nothing can be done
5. 得る 【え・る】 (ru-verb) - to
obtain
6. 事由 【じ・ゆう】 - reason; cause
7. 手続 【て・つづき】 - procedure, paperwork
8. 遅れる 【おく・れる】 (ru-verb) - to be
late
9. 必ず 【かなら・ず】 - without exception, without fail
10. 連絡 【れん・らく】 - contact
11. この - this （abbr. of これの）
12. 仕事 【し・ごと】 - job
13. 厳しい 【きび・しい】 (i-adj) - strict
14. 最近 【さい・きん】 - recent; lately
15. 不景気 【ふ・けい・き】 - recession, depression
16. 新しい 【あたら・しい】(i-adj) - new
17. 見つかる 【み・つかる】 (u-verb) - to be found
18. 状態 【じょう・たい】 - situation
This
grammar is very similar to the one we just learned above except that it uses
the verb 「止む」 to say that one cannot obtain the stopping of
something. Remember that we normally can't just attach the 「を」 direct object particle to verbs, so this is really a set
expression. Just like the previous grammar we learned, it is used to describe
something that one is forced to do due to some circumstances. The difference
here is that this is a complete phrase, which can be used for a general
situation that doesn't involve any specific action. In other words, you're not
actually forced to do something; rather it describes a
situation that cannot be helped. If you have already learned 「仕方がない」 or 「しょうがない」, this grammar means pretty much the same
thing. The difference lies in whether you want to say, "Looks like we're
stuck" vs "Due to circumstances beyond our
control..."
Since this is a set
expression, there are really no grammar points to discuss. You only need to
take the phrase and use it as you would any regular relative clause.
Examples
1. やむを得ない事由により手続が遅れた場合、必ずご連絡下さい。
If the paperwork should be late due to uncontrollable circumstance, please make
sure to contact us.
2. この仕事は厳しいかもしれませんが、最近の不景気では新しい仕事が見つからないのでやむを得ない状態です。
This job may be bad but because (I) can't find a new job due to the recent
economic downturn, it's a situation where nothing can be done.
Expressing what cannot be done with 「～かねる」
Vocabulary
1. かねる (ru-verb) - to be
unable to; to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do;
2. 決める 【き・める】 (ru-verb) - to
decide
3. する (exception) - to do
4. なる (u-verb) - to become
5. この - this （abbr. of これの）
6. 場 【ば】 - place, spot
7. ちょっと - a little
8. また - again
9. 別途 【べっ・と】 - separate
10. 会議 【かい・ぎ】 - meeting
11. 設ける 【もう・ける】 (ru-verb) - to
establish
12. 個人 【こ・じん】 - personal
13. 情報 【じょう・ほう】 - information
14. 漏洩 【ろう・えい】 - disclosure; leakage
15. 速やか 【すみ・やか】 (na-adj) - speedy;
prompt
16. 対応 【たい・おう】 - dealing with; support
17. 願う 【ねが・う】 (u-verb) - to wish; to request
18. 致す 【いた・す】 (u-verb) - to do (humble)
The meaning and usage of 「かねる」 is covered pretty well in this jeKai entry
with plenty of examples. While much of this is a repetition of what's written there, 「かねる」 is a ru-verb that is used as a suffix to other verbs to express a person's inability, reluctance, or refusal to do somethingUsing 「～かねる」 for things that
cannot be done
· 「かねる」 is a ru-verb so use the negative 「かねない」 to say that something
(bad) might happen.
Examples
