Lesson 20
Strong Feeling & Compulsion
- 1 〜てしかたがない ~te shikata ga nai so ~ I can't stand it / unbearably ~ A feeling or wish so strong you can't hold it in — 会いたくてしかたがない (I miss them so much I can't stand it).
- 2 〜てたまらない ~te tamaranai unbearably ~ (often a body sensation) Something your body or heart just can't bear — 眠くてたまらない (I'm unbearably sleepy).
- 3 〜てかなわない ~te kanawanai ~ is a real nuisance / can't stand ~ Something bad is wearing you down — うるさくてかなわない (the noise is driving me mad).
- 4 〜てならない ~te naranai can't help feeling ~ (spontaneous emotion) A feeling that rises by itself — 残念でならない・気になってならない.
- 5 〜ないではいられない ~naide wa irarenai cannot help doing ~ The pair to N3's ずにはいられない — spoken 「ないでは」and written 「ずには」.
- 6 〜てはいられない ~te wa irarenai can't keep on ~ing / can't afford to ~ Haste or duty says 'I can't stay like this' — 寝てはいられない (I can't stay in bed).
- 7 〜てばかりはいられない ~te bakari wa irarenai can't just keep ~ing 'I can't just keep doing only this' — 遊んでばかりはいられない (I can't just play around).
- 8 〜ねばならない ~neba naranai must (formal, written) The written, stiff form of なければならない — for rules, documents and speeches: 帰らねばならない (I must go back).
- 9 〜てはならない ~te wa naranai must not (formal, written) The written, stiff form of てはいけない — a big rule or principle: 決して忘れてはならない (must never forget).
Lesson check
All 9 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「夜勤のあとで、眠くて＿。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A bodily sensation (sleepiness).
Bodily sensations like 眠い・かゆい take 〜てたまらない; 〜てならない is only for emotions that well up inside (残念・心配).
「大事な書類をどこかに忘れたような気がして＿。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:気がする = a feeling that arises on its own.
Spontaneous verbs like 気がする・思える take only 〜てならない; 「気がしてたまらない」is not said, and かなわない attaches only to adjectives.
「ほしくないのに、給料日の後はつい新しい服を買わ＿。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:'つい' — you just can't hold back.
V-ず＋にはいられない = can't help doing it; ねばならない・なくてはならない mean 'must' (obligation), which clashes with ほしくないのに・つい.
「明日は朝六時から仕事だから、のんびり寝て＿。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Your own situation: you have to get up and work.
V-てはいられない = can't keep on doing this (your own pressure); 寝てはならない is a rule-like prohibition, and 寝てたまらない・寝てならない fail because 寝る is not a feeling.
「ビザが切れる前に、市役所で手続き＿。」(company notice) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:What is the ねば form of する?
する → せねばならない (「しねば」is wrong) = formal 'must'; してはならない means the opposite 'must not', and せずにはいられない is only for an urge you can't hold back.
Which sentence is unnatural?
💡 Hint:What kind of feeling does かなわない take?
〜てかなわない is only for negative, 困る-type feelings (うるさい・暑い・不便); for joy like うれしい use 〜てたまらない・〜てしかたがない.
Which sentence is unnatural?
💡 Hint:Does ならない work with evaluative words?
〜てならない is only for emotions that well up (残念・心配・気がする); it cannot take evaluative words like きれい・下手, while the other three follow the lesson's rules.
Talking to a friend: 'I've got work early tomorrow, can't keep on playing' — how do you say it casually?
💡 Hint:遊んで — the て-form ends in で.
A て-form ending in で takes 〜じゃいられない (遊んじゃ), so 「遊んちゃ」is wrong; 遊ばねばならない means 'must play' in a novel-like tone, and 遊んではならない is a rule-like prohibition, not your own situation.
Your score: /8