Grammar Info

N1 Lesson 9: 20/20

を禁(きん)じ得(え)ないCannot help feeling, Cannot but, Cannot hold back

Structure

Noun + を禁(きん)じ得(え)ない
Verb + の + を禁(きん)じ得(え)ない

Details

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    Formal

About を禁じ得ない

を禁(きん)じ得(え)ない is a formal grammar pattern used to express that one ‘cannot help feeling (A)’, or ‘cannot hold back from (A)’. It is primarily used connected to words that express emotions, or things that are the result of emotions, such as tears or laughter. This is a combination of the adverbial particle を, the conjunctive form of the る-Verb 禁(きん)じる ‘to prohibit’, and the 得(え)ない pattern which means ‘to not gain’, but is used in a similar way to できない.

を禁(きん)じ得(え)ない will be seen following nouns, or occasionally verbs that have been nominalized with の.

Caution

This grammar pattern is almost exclusively used to express one’s own, first-person opinion. Due to this, it may sound unnatural if used to express other’s feelings.

Examples

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    この生徒(せいと)たちは流暢(りゅうちょう)な日本語(にほんご)でニュースについて議論(ぎろん)していたが、彼(かれ)らは二(に)年(ねん)前(まえ)から日本語(にほんご)を勉強(べんきょう)し始(はじ)めたと聞(き)いて、驚(おどろ)きを禁(きん)じ得(え)なかった。

    I could not help being surprised, hearing that these students who were discussing the news in fluent Japanese, had started studying it two years ago.

    この不況(ふきょう)の中(なか)、政治家(せいじか)が自分(じぶん)の給与(きゅうよ)を上(あ)げるとの報道(ほうどう)を耳(みみ)にし、怒(いか)りを禁(きん)じ得(え)ません。

    I cannot help but feel anger upon hearing the news that the politicians raised their salaries during this time of recession.

    伝記(でんき)：「戦争(せんそう)がこの地方(ちほう)にもたらした破壊(はかい)を見(み)て、涙(なみだ)を禁(きん)じ得(え)なかった。」

    Biography: 'I could not hold back tears after seeing the destruction that the war brought upon this area.'

    長(なが)い年月(としつき)の後(のち)、互(たが)いに抱(だ)き合(あ)った姿(すがた)に、喜(よろこ)びを禁(きん)じ得(え)ない。

    I cannot help but feel joy at seeing those two embracing one another after all these years.

    全(すべ)てを失(うしな)った地震(じしん)の被害者(ひがいしゃ)に同情(どうじょう)の念(ねん)を禁(きん)じ得(え)ない。

    I cannot help feeling compassion for the victims of the earthquake, who lost everything.

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      を禁じ得ない – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (1 in total)

      • Aunel

        Aunel

        The first example sentence in the description of this point is:

        初めて広島にある平和記念資料館に行ったとき、涙をこらえるのを禁じ得なかった。

        The given translation is: “I could not hold back my tears when…”

        However, shouldn’t this be: “I could not but hold back my tears when…”, i.e. I didn’t cry? Or is there some double negation happening here?

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