Vocabulary

得る(え・る) ru-verb

to obtain

意図(い・と)

intention; aim; design

する exception

to do

来る(く・る) exception

to come

食べる(た・べる) ru-verb

to eat

行く(い・く) u-verb

to go

この

this （abbr. of これの）

テレビ(te re bi)

TV, television

これ

this

以上(い・じょう)

greater or equal

壊れる(こわ・れる) ru-verb

to break

新しい(あたら・しい) i-adj

new

買う(か・う) u-verb

to buy

ずっと

the whole time, all along

我慢(が・まん)

tolerance; self-control

状態(じょう・たい)

situation

歯医者(は・い・しゃ)

dentist

上司(じょう・し)

superior; boss

話(はなし)

story

聞く(き・く) u-verb

to ask; to listen

どうしても

by any means, no matter what

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.

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.

Vocabulary

止む(や・む) u-verb

to stop

仕方(し・かた)

way, method

ある u-verb

to exist (inanimate)

しょうがない

it can’t be helped, nothing can be done

得る(え・る) ru-verb

to obtain

事由(じ・ゆう)

reason; cause

手続(て・つづき)

procedure, paperwork

遅れる(おく・れる) ru-verb

to be late

必ず(かなら・ず)

without exception, without fail

連絡(れん・らく)

contact

この

this （abbr. of これの）

仕事(し・ごと)

job

厳しい(きび・しい) i-adj

strict

最近(さい・きん)

recent; lately

不景気(ふ・けい・き)

recession, depression

新しい(あたら・しい) i-adj

new

見つかる(み・つかる) u-verb

to be found

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.

Vocabulary

かねる ru-verb

to be unable to; to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do;

決める(き・める) ru-verb

to decide

する exception

to do

なる u-verb

to become

この

this （abbr. of これの）

場(ば)

place, spot

ちょっと

a little

また

again

別途(べっ・と)

separate

会議(かい・ぎ)

meeting

設ける(もう・ける) ru-verb

to establish

個人(こ・じん)

personal

情報(じょう・ほう)

information

漏洩(ろう・えい)

disclosure; leakage

速やか(すみ・やか) na-adj

speedy; prompt

対応(たい・おう)

dealing with; support

願う(ねが・う) u-verb

to wish; to request

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 something

かねる is often used in the negative as かねない to indicate that there is a possibility that the verb in question might happen. As the jeKai entry mentions, this is usually in reference to something bad, which you might express in English as, “there is a risk that…” or “there is a fear that…”

One important thing that the jeKai doesn’t mention is how you would go about using this grammar. It’s not difficult and you may have already guessed from the example sentences that all you need to do is just attach かねる or かねない to the stem of the verb.

Examples

1. この場ではちょっと決めかねますので、また別途会議を設けましょう。
   Since making a decision here is impossible, let’s set up a separate meeting again.

2. このままでは、個人情報が漏洩しかねないので、速やかに対応をお願い致します。
   At this rate, there is a possibility that personal information might leak so I request that this be dealt with promptly.