Lesson 162: ようがない・ざるを得ない・がたい・抜く

N2 · Lesson 162 · 18 min — Can't do it even if you try, forced to do it, can't accept it in your heart, pushing through to the end: a low point and a fresh start under the promise tree in the snow

Last lesson, the ward office gave us a first "no" at the counter. This lesson teaches four ways to talk about hard times: ようがない (no way), ざるを得えない (no choice), がたい (hard to, in the heart) and 抜ぬく (see it through). Let's start with the comic!

After this lesson, you can:

• Use ようがない to say "there's no way to do it, even if I try": 手ての 打うちようが ない
• Use ざるを得えない to say "I have no choice but to ~": 認みとめざるを 得えない
• Use がたい to say "it's hard to ~ in my heart": 忘わすれがたい、信しんじがたい
• Use 抜ぬく to say "see it through to the end, do it thoroughly": やり抜ぬく、考かんがえ抜ぬく

Snowy Day, Promise Tree

The ward office rejected the plan. On a snowy January day, Rin comes to the promise tree... (区役所くやくしょ＝ward office, 断ことわる＝to refuse, 手てを打うつ＝to take action, 認みとめる＝to admit, 諦あきらめる＝to give up, よし＝OK!, ドーナツ＝donut, 砂糖さとう＝sugar)

ようがない＝no way to; ざるを得えない＝no choice but to; がたい＝hard to; 抜ぬく＝to the end. Next lesson, Rin tells Grandpa about his decision...

Words for this lesson: hard times, determination and sweet snow

• 〜ようが ない (yō ga nai): no way to ~, can't ~
• 〜ざるを 得えない (zaru o enai): have no choice but to ~ (forced by the situation)
• 〜がたい (gatai): hard to ~ (in the heart)
• 〜抜ぬく (nuku): keep ~ing to the end; do ~ thoroughly
• 手てを 打うつ (te o utsu): take action, take measures
• 断ことわる (kotowaru): to refuse
• 認みとめる (mitomeru): to admit, to accept
• 諦あきらめる (akirameru): to give up
• 捨すてる (suteru): to throw away, to give up
• 信しんじる (shinjiru): to believe
• 許ゆるす (yurusu): to forgive, to allow
• 直なおす (naosu): to repair, to fix
• 苦くるしい (kurushii): painful, hard
• 思おもい出で (omoide): memory
• 連絡れんらく (renraku): contact
• 中止ちゅうし (chūshi): cancellation, stopping
• 案あん (an): plan, proposal
• 材料ざいりょう (zairyō): ingredients, materials
• ドーナツ (dōnatsu): donut
• 砂糖さとう (satō): sugar

Grammar 1 / 4: ようがない

Verb ます-stem (drop ます) + ようがない = there's no way to do it, even if you try: the method or conditions simply don't exist. する-verbs become しようがない. 手ての 打うちようが ない = nothing left to try.

• Form: V ます-stem + ようがない: Drop ます and add ようが ない: 打うちます→打うちようが ない、直なおします→直なおしようが ない、食たべます→食たべようが ない. Polite form: ようが ありません.
• する-verbs: しようがない: 連絡れんらくする→連絡れんらくしようが ない. You can also say 連絡れんらくの しようが ない. The を usually becomes の: 手てを 打うつ→手ての 打うちようが ない.
• Meaning: the method simply doesn't exist: It's not "I don't want to." The conditions or methods are missing: you don't know the address, you have no materials, it's completely broken. So it often comes with ～ので to give the reason.
• Don't mix it up with 〜て しょうが ない: You learned 会あいたくて しょうが ない (て-form + しょうがない = so much you can't stand it). This lesson is "ます-stem + ようがない": 連絡れんらくし＋ようが ない、打うち＋ようが ない (する→しようがない). Look at what comes before: て-form → しょうがない (strong feeling); ます-stem → ようがない (no way to). しょう (small ょ) and しよう (full-size よ) differ by one small character. 〜て しょうが ない comes from しようが ない, but after the て-form it has become a fixed phrase meaning "so much you can't stand it."

• もう 手ての 打うちようが ない。 — There's nothing left to try.
• 住所じゅうしょが わからないので、連絡れんらくしようが ない。 — I don't know the address, so I can't contact them.
• ここまで 壊こわれたら、もう 直なおしようが ない。 — It's so broken, there's no way to fix it.
• 材料ざいりょうが ないので、作つくりようが ありません。 — There are no ingredients, so there's no way to make it.
• 雪ゆきで 道みちが 通とおれないので、行いきようが ない。 — The snow blocked the road, so there's no way to go.

Grammar 2 / 4: ざるを得えない

Verb ない-form (ない→ざる) + を 得えない = forced by the situation, have no choice but to ~: you don't quite want to, but the situation leaves only this option. 認みとめざるを 得えない = have to admit it.

• Form: V ない-form + ざるを 得えない: Change the ない of the ない-form to ざる, then add を 得えない: 行いかない→行いかざるを 得えない、認みとめない→認みとめざるを 得えない. 得え is read え.
• Exceptions: する→せざる、来くる→来こざる: 中止ちゅうしする→中止ちゅうしせざるを 得えない (not しざる). 来くる→来こざるを 得えない.
• Meaning: forced by the situation: You don't do it because you want to. "The situation is like this, so this is the only thing to do," with a feeling of resignation and reluctance. It feels more "forced" than なければ ならない, and sounds formal, like written language.
• Compare with phrases you know: しか ない = this is the only way left (casual); ない わけには いかない = you can't not do it, out of duty or common sense; ざるを得えない = pushed by the situation until there's no choice, the most formal. Polite form: ざるを 得えません.

• 安全あんぜんの 理由りゆうは、認みとめざるを 得えない。 — For safety reasons, I have to admit it.
• 雪ゆきで バスが 止とまったので、歩あるいて 帰かえらざるを 得えなかった。 — The bus stopped because of the snow, so I had no choice but to walk home.
• 台風たいふうが 来くるので、祭まつりは 中止ちゅうしせざるを 得えない。 — A typhoon is coming, so the festival has to be canceled.
• 店長てんちょうに 頼たのまれたら、行いかざるを 得えません。 — If the owner asks me, I have no choice but to go.
• 熱ねつが 高たかいので、旅行りょこうは やめざるを 得えない。 — I have a high fever, so I have to give up on the trip.

Grammar 3 / 4: がたい

Verb ます-stem (drop ます) + がたい = hard to ~ in your heart: not a matter of strength or skill, but something that's emotionally or morally hard to accept. 忘わすれがたい = unforgettable.

• Form: V ます-stem + がたい: Drop ます and add がたい: 諦あきらめます→諦あきらめがたい、信しんじます→信しんじがたい、許ゆるします→許ゆるしがたい.
• It changes like an い-adjective: Past: がたかった (信しんじがたかった). It connects directly to a noun: 忘わすれがたい 思おもい出で (no な).
• Meaning: difficulty in the heart: It often goes with verbs of feeling and judgment: 信しんじる、許ゆるす、認みとめる、忘わすれる、諦あきらめる、捨すてる. 捨すてがたい = can't bear to throw away, hard to give up.
• Tell it apart from にくい: You learned にくい: 持もちにくい、読よみにくい = physically or technically hard to do. For carrying heavy things or reading small print, don't say がたい.

• この 木きは 諦あきらめがたい。 — This tree is hard to give up.
• 留学りゅうがくの 思おもい出では 忘わすれがたい。 — My memories of studying abroad are unforgettable.
• あの 人ひとが うそを ついたなんて、信しんじがたい。 — That person lied? That's hard to believe.
• 約束やくそくを 何度なんども 守まもらないのは、許ゆるしがたい。 — They keep breaking their promises. It's really hard to forgive.
• どちらの ケーキも おいしくて、どちらも 捨すてがたい。 — Both cakes are delicious, so I can't bear to give up either.

Grammar 4 / 4: 抜ぬく

Verb ます-stem (drop ます) + 抜ぬく = keep going to the end no matter how hard it is; do ~ thoroughly: the process is tough, but you push through to the very end. やり抜ぬく = see it through.

• Form: V ます-stem + 抜ぬく: Drop ます and add 抜ぬく: やります→やり抜ぬく、走はしります→走はしり抜ぬく、考かんがえます→考かんがえ抜ぬく. 抜ぬく itself is a Group 1 (u-verb): 抜ぬいた、抜ぬこう、抜ぬきます.
• Meaning 1: keep going to the end: It gets very hard and you want to quit, but you push to the finish: やり抜ぬく、がんばり抜ぬく、守まもり抜ぬく. It often goes with 最後さいごまで.
• Meaning 2: thoroughly, to the maximum: 考かんがえ抜ぬく = think and think, 悩なやみ抜ぬく = agonize to the limit, 選えらび抜ぬく = choose very carefully.
• Tell it apart from 〜切きる: You learned 〜切きる = finish ~ completely. 切きる focuses on "finishing, using it all up" (example: 食たべ切きる = finish a whole portion). 抜ぬく focuses on "getting through the hard process." To finish a bowl of ramen, use 食たべ切きる.

• 最後さいごまで やり抜ぬきます。 — I'll see it through to the end.
• この 木きを 最後さいごまで 守まもり抜ぬく。 — I'll protect this tree to the end.
• 熊太くまたは 苦くるしくても、マラソンを 走はしり抜ぬいた。 — Even though it was painful, Kumata ran the whole marathon.
• 一週間いっしゅうかん 考かんがえ抜ぬいて、答こたえを 出だした。 — I thought it over for a whole week before I made my decision.
• 店長てんちょうが 選えらび抜ぬいた 材料ざいりょうで 作つくって います。 — It's made with ingredients the owner chose very carefully.