JLPT N2 Grammar
· Upper Intermediate
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· Upper Intermediate
Have no choice but to; cannot help but
Category: Judgment & Opinion
The grammar pattern "V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない" is used to express that the speaker is forced to do something against their will due to certain circumstances. It implies a sense of inevitability or obligation. This pattern is highly formal and is often used in writing or in formal speech. It can be translated to English as "have no choice but to" or "cannot help but". The pattern is formed by combining the stem of a verb with the auxiliary verb "せざるを得ない", which is an irregular form of "する".
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| V-nai (stem) | V-nai (stem) + せざるを得ない | 食べ- (tabe-) + せざるを得ない (sezaru o dekinai) |
| V- (base form) | V- (base form) + せざるを得ない | 見- (mi-) + せざるを得ない (sezaru o dekinai) |
| V- (te form) | V- (te form) + せざるを得ない | 見て- (mite-) + せざるを得ない (sezaru o dekinai) |
これほど証拠が揃っている以上、事実を認めざるを得ない。
kore hodo shōko ga tozuitteru yūjo, jijitsu o mitomezu o dekinai.
Given the overwhelming evidence, we have no choice but to acknowledge the facts.
これほど (kore hodo) - to this extent, above, 以上 (yūjo) - above, beyond, 証拠 (shōko) - evidence, proof, 揃っている (tozuitteru) - to be gathered, collected, 認めざる (mitomezu) - to acknowledge, admit, を (o) - object marker, 得ない (dekinai) - cannot help but, have no choice but to
台風で電車が止まったので、旅行は中止せざるを得ない。
taifū de densha ga tomatta node, ryokō wa chūsho sezaru o dekinai.
Due to the typhoon, we have no choice but to cancel the trip.
台風 (taifū) - typhoon, で (de) - because, 電車 (densha) - train, が (ga) - subject marker, 止まった (tomatta) - stopped, ので (node) - because, 旅行 (ryokō) - trip, は (wa) - topic marker, 中止 (chūsho) - to cancel, せざる (sezaru) - to acknowledge, admit, を (o) - object marker, 得ない (dekinai) - cannot help but, have no choice but to
上司の命令とあれば、嫌でも仕事をせざるを得ない。
jōshi no meirei to aeba, kirade mo hataraku o sezaru o dekinai.
If the boss gives an order, we have no choice but to do the work, even if we don't want to.
上司 (jōshi) - boss, の (no) - possessive marker, 命令 (meirei) - order, と (to) - conjunction, あれば (aeba) - if, even if, 嫌でも (kirade mo) - even if we don't want to, 仕事 (hataraku) - work, を (o) - object marker, せざる (sezaru) - to acknowledge, admit, を (o) - object marker, 得ない (dekinai) - cannot help but, have no choice but to
This pattern is highly formal and is often used in writing or in formal speech. It is used to express that the speaker is forced to do something against their will due to certain circumstances. It can be compared to the pattern ～ないわけにはいかない, which is used to express that the speaker has a social duty to do something. However, the pattern ～ないわけにはいかない is more formal and is often used in writing, while the pattern V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない is more commonly used in formal speech.
The pattern V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない requires the use of the stem of the verb, not the full 'nai' form. For example, instead of using *tabenai-zaru, use tabe-zaru.
The pattern V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない requires the use of the irregular form 'sezaru' instead of the regular form 'suru'.
The pattern V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない is used to express that the speaker is forced to do something against their will due to certain circumstances, while the pattern ～ないわけにはいかない is used to express that the speaker has a social duty to do something. The two patterns are not interchangeable and require different contexts.
When using the pattern V-nai (stem) + ざるを得ない in the JLPT exam, make sure to use the correct form of the verb and the correct auxiliary verb 'sezaru'. Also, be aware of the difference between this pattern and the pattern ～ないわけにはいかない.
これほど証拠が揃っている以上、事実を______。
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