Lesson 188: て やまない・ずには おかない・を 禁じ得ない・に 堪えない

N1 · Lesson 188 · 18 min — Say your strongest feelings in formal Japanese: the night before the results, wishing under the tree!

Last lesson, Grandpa ignored everyone's worries and visited the tree every day. The ward council's final hearing has now ended too. In this lesson you learn four formal ways to express strong feelings: て やまない (sincerely ~), ずには おかない (I will surely ~ / it is sure to ~), を 禁きんじ得えない (can't help ~), and に 堪たえない (can't bear to ~ / deeply ~). Read the comic first!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use て やまない for "sincerely ~ / ~ without end": 無事ぶじを 願ねがって やまない
• Use ずには おかない for "I will surely ~ / it is sure to (make people) ~": 伝つたえずには おかない
• Use を 禁きんじ得えない for "can't help ~ (a feeling wells up)": 涙なみだを 禁きんじ得えない
• Use に 堪たえない for "can't bear to ~" and "deeply ~ (grateful)": 見みるに 堪たえない / 感謝かんしゃに 堪たえません

Eve of the Results

The final hearing is over; results come tomorrow. Rin and Grandpa go to the fenced-in tree... (無事ぶじ = safe, 柵さく = fence, 堪たえる = bear, 伝つたえる = convey, 禁きんじる = hold back; sign in panel 2: 立入禁止たちいりきんし = no entry)

て やまない = sincerely ~; ずには おかない = I will surely ~ / is sure to ~; を 禁きんじ得えない = can't help ~; に 堪たえない = can't bear to ~ / deeply ~. (Note: Neko-sensei's "空腹くうふくも 禁きんじ得えません" is an intentional joke, and it is wrong! Hunger is not a feeling. Put a feeling noun before it, like 涙なみだ, 同情どうじょう or 驚おどろき.) Tomorrow, the news at last...

Words for this lesson: strong feelings

• 〜て やまない (te yamanai): sincerely ~, ~ without end (a strong feeling that keeps going)
• 〜ずには おかない (zu ni wa okanai): I will surely ~; is sure to (make people) ~
• 〜を 禁きんじ得えない (o kinjienai): can't help ~ (a feeling wells up)
• 〜に 堪たえない (ni taenai): can't bear to ~; deeply ~
• 堪たえる (taeru): to withstand; to be worth ~
• 禁きんじる (kinjiru): to forbid; to hold back
• 立入禁止たちいりきんし (tachiiri kinshi): no entry
• 願ねがう (negau): to wish, to hope
• 祈いのる (inoru): to pray, to wish well
• 愛あいする (aisuru): to love, to love deeply
• 無事ぶじ (buji): safe and sound
• 柵さく (saku): fence
• つぼみ (tsubomi): bud
• 伝つたえる (tsutaeru): to convey, to pass on
• 空腹くうふく (kūfuku): hunger, an empty stomach
• 同情どうじょう・怒いかり (dōjō, ikari): sympathy, anger (feeling nouns)
• 平和へいわ (heiwa): peace
• 再会さいかい (saikai): reunion
• 解決かいけつ (kaiketsu): solution
• 突然とつぜん (totsuzen): suddenly
• 現場げんば (genba): the scene, the site
• 感激かんげき (kangeki): deep gratitude, strong emotion
• 鑑賞かんしょう (kanshō): appreciation (of a work)
• 悪口わるぐち (waruguchi): bad-mouthing, insults

Grammar 1 / 4: て やまない

V-te form + やまない: a strong feeling in the speaker (a wish, hope or love) keeps going and never stops = sincerely ~, ~ without end. 木きの 無事ぶじを 願ねがって やまない = I sincerely pray the tree is safe.

• Form: V-te form + やまない: 願ねがう becomes 願ねがって やまない; 期待きたいする becomes 期待きたいして やまない. The polite form is やみません.
• Meaning: sincerely ~, ~ without end: A strong feeling that has lasted from the past until now. It is not a passing mood. It is a long, heartfelt wish.
• Feeling verbs only: Most common: 願ねがう, 祈いのる, 期待きたいする, 愛あいする (also 信しんじる (believe), 尊敬そんけいする (respect), 憧あこがれる (long for), and so on). Ordinary actions like eat, walk or read cannot be used.
• Formal situations: Use it in speeches, the end of letters and writing. When you chat with friends and say "I really hope ~", the 〜て ほしい or 〜たい you already know is enough.

• 平和へいわを 願ねがって やまない。 — I sincerely pray for peace.
• みなさまの ご健康けんこうを 祈いのって やみません。 — I sincerely wish you all good health. (end of a letter)
• おじいさんは この 町まちを 愛あいして やまない。 — Grandpa loves this town deeply.
• リンの 成功せいこうを 期待きたいして やみません。 — I sincerely look forward to Rin's success.
• 二人ふたりの 再会さいかいを 願ねがって やまない。 — I sincerely pray the two can meet again.

Grammar 2 / 4: ずには おかない

V-ない form (〜ない becomes 〜ず; する becomes せず) + には おかない = "I won't stop until ~". (1) The speaker's strong resolve: 伝つたえずには おかない = I will surely convey it. (2) The power of something inevitably causes a reaction: 見みる 人ひとを 泣なかせずには おかない = it is sure to make viewers cry.

• Form: V-ない form (ない becomes ず) + には おかない: 伝つたえない becomes 伝つたえず; 泣なかせない becomes 泣なかせず. する becomes せず (not しず): 解決かいけつせずには おかない.
• Meaning 1: I will surely ~ (resolve): The speaker's active, firm resolve: この 問題もんだいは 必かならず 解決かいけつせずには おかない (I will surely solve this problem). Used in writing and formal statements.
• Meaning 2: is sure to cause ~: The subject is often a work, words or an event. Often paired with the causative: 人ひとを 〜させずには おかない = is sure to make people ~.
• Don't mix it up with ずには いられない: ずには いられない = "I" can't help ~ing. ずには おかない = "I" will surely ~, or (an outside force) is sure to make someone ~.

• この 映画えいがは 見みる 人ひとを 泣なかせずには おかない。 — This movie is sure to make viewers cry.
• 彼かれの スピーチは 聞きく 人ひとを 感動かんどうさせずには おかない。 — His speech is sure to move the listeners.
• この 思おもいを、必かならず 区長くちょうに 伝つたえずには おかない。 — I will surely convey these feelings to the ward mayor.
• 事故じこの 原因げんいんは、必かならず 調しらべずには おかない。 — I will find out the cause of the accident, no matter what.
• その 一言ひとことは、みんなを 笑わらわせずには おかなかった。 — Those words made everyone burst out laughing.

Grammar 3 / 4: を 禁きんじ得えない

N (feeling) + を 禁きんじ得えない: you see a situation and a feeling rises in your heart that you can't hold back = can't help ~. 涙なみだを 禁きんじ得えない = can't hold back tears.

• Form: N + を 禁きんじ得えない: Polite form: 禁きんじ得えません; past: 禁きんじ得えなかった. A noun always comes before it, with the particle を.
• Put a feeling noun before it: Most common: 涙なみだ, 同情どうじょう, 驚おどろき, 怒いかり, 笑わらい. Food, objects and body states like hunger cannot be used.
• Mark the cause with 「〜に(は)」: その 話はなしには 涙なみだを 禁きんじ得えない = hearing that story, I can't hold back tears.
• Very formal, written style: Use it in news, reviews and formal speeches. To a friend, just say 泣なきそう! (I'm about to cry!).

• その 話はなしには 涙なみだを 禁きんじ得えない。 — Hearing that story, I can't hold back tears.
• 突然とつぜんの 閉店へいてんに、驚おどろきを 禁きんじ得えなかった。 — The shop suddenly closed, and I couldn't help being shocked.
• 約束やくそくを 守まもらない 人ひとには、怒いかりを 禁きんじ得えない。 — Toward people who break their promises, I can't help feeling anger.
• 五十年ごじゅうねんも 待まった 二人ふたりには、同情どうじょうを 禁きんじ得えない。 — For the two who waited fifty years, I can't help feeling sympathy.
• 先生せんせいの 失敗しっぱいには、笑わらいを 禁きんじ得えなかった。 — Seeing the teacher embarrassed, I couldn't help laughing.

Grammar 4 / 4: に 堪たえない

(1) V dictionary form (見みる, 聞きく) + に 堪たえない = so bad or painful that you can't bear to ~: 見みるに 堪たえない = can't bear to look. (2) N (感謝かんしゃ, 感激かんげき) + に 堪たえない = deeply ~, ~ beyond words. The positive に 堪たえる = can withstand ~, is worth ~.

• (1) V dictionary form + に 堪たえない: can't bear to ~: Most common with 見みる, 聞きく, 読よむ. The thing is so bad, so tragic or so awful that you can't bear to ~ it.
• (2) N + に 堪たえない: deeply ~: With feeling nouns like 感謝かんしゃ and 感激かんげき: the feeling is at its limit = deeply ~, ~ beyond words. Extremely formal; used in speeches and letters.
• (3) Positive: に 堪たえる = worth ~: 鑑賞かんしょうに 堪たえる (worth appreciating), 読よむに 堪たえる (worth reading): the quality passes the test.
• Reading, writing and nuance: 堪たえる is read たえる. It is also often written 耐たえる (same sound, same meaning), and 見みるに 耐たえない is common too. The "deeply ~" use, like 感謝かんしゃに 堪たえない, is usually written with 堪たえる. All three uses are very formal. To a friend, just say ひどすぎて 見みられない (it's too awful to watch).

• 事故じこの 現場げんばは、見みるに 堪たえなかった。 — The scene of the accident was too terrible to look at.
• この 歌うたは 下手へたすぎて、聞きくに 堪たえない。 — This song is sung so badly that I can't bear to listen.
• 温あたたかい お言葉ことばを いただき、感激かんげきに 堪たえません。 — For your warm words, I am deeply grateful.
• みなさまの ご協力きょうりょく、感謝かんしゃに 堪たえません。 — For everyone's help, I am deeply grateful.
• この 町まちの 古ふるい 写真しゃしんは、今いまでも 鑑賞かんしょうに 堪たえる。 — The old photos of this town are still worth looking at today.