一般（いっぱん）の犯罪者（はんざいしゃ）は信頼（しんらい）し<strong>得（え）ない</strong><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='300'>人（ひと）</span>だ。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>の態度（たいど）があり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='849'>私（わたし）</span>が<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='37' data-vocab-id='148'>その</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='465'>夢（ゆめ）</span>を叶（かな）えることはあり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>。

二次元（にじげん）のキャラクターは実際（じっさい）に存在（そんざい）し<strong>得（え）ない</strong>からこそ、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='302'>人々（ひとびと）</span>の<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='826'>目（め）</span>に魅力（みりょく）的（てき）に映（うつ）るのだ。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='20' data-vocab-id='145'>そこ</span><span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='360' data-vocab-id='992'>まで</span><span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='467'>大（おお）きな</span>地震（じしん）は起（お）こり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>。

君（きみ）の話術（わじゅつ）を持（も）ってしても、説得（せっとく）し<strong>得（え）ない</strong>だろう。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>は専門家（せんもんか）<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='154'>だから</span>、偽物（にせもの）を<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='26' data-vocab-id='974'>買（か）う</span>なんてということは、絶対（ぜったい）あり<strong>えない</strong>。

太陽（たいよう）がなければ地球（ちきゅう）の生命（せいめい）は存在（そんざい）し<strong>えない</strong>。

<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='37' data-vocab-id='148'>その</span>ま<span class='gp-popout vocab-popout' data-gp-id='72' data-vocab-id='224'>まだ</span>と、選挙（せんきょ）は勝（か）ち<strong>えない</strong>だろう。

<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='564'>彼（かれ）</span>が言（い）ったことがあり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>ことはないが、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='335'>何（なに）か</span>怪（あや）しい。

本来（ほんらい）、<span class='vocab-popout' data-vocab-id='740'>水（みず）</span>と油（あぶら）は混（ま）ざり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>。

そんなことはほとんど起（お）こり<strong>得（え）ない</strong>と思（おも）います。

～得る・~得ない  ～うる・～えない ...can

Expressing the inability to not do using 「～ざるを得ない」

<div class='writeup-body'>得（え）る is a る-Verb that has the meaning of 'to gain' or 'to acquire'. When attached to the <span class='info-highlight' data-term='連用形・れんようけい'>conjunctive form</span> of verbs, it takes on the nuance of 'for (A) to be possible', or 'able to (A)'. In addition to this, when <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='321'>得（え）る</span> is combined with ない, that nuance switches to 'unable to (A)', or 'cannot (A)'.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>我（わ）が社（しゃ）に出来（でき）得（え）ないことなどありません。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>There is nothing that our company can't do.</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>警察官（けいさつかん）は信頼（しんらい）し得（え）ないと思（おも）っている人（ひと）たちが増（ふ）えて来（き）た。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>More people are coming to believe that police officers cannot be trusted.</div></li></ul>Compared to できない, meaning that the potential to do something does not exist, 得（え）ない means something closer to 'there is no possibility that (A) can be done', or 'the possibility to do (A) has not been gained'.<div class='writeup-caution'>Caution - 得（え）る may be seen as either える or うる. The primary difference between the two being that うる is a relatively old form that is often seen only in literature, and almost never spoken. Despite this, うる is never used in the negative form with ない.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>そんな大（おお）きな災害（さいがい）は起（お）こりえないと思（おも）います。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>I think that it's impossible for a disaster that big to happen. (Natural Japanese)</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>そんな大（おお）きな災害（さいがい）は起（お）こりうないと思（おも）います。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>I think that it's impossible for a disaster that big to happen. (Unnatural Japanese)</div></li></ul></div><div class='writeup-funfact'>Fun-fact - <span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='321'>得（え）る</span> is far more formal/bookish than できる. However, there are several set phrases that are very common in daily speech that use this particular grammar point, such as あり<span class='gp-popout' data-gp-id='321'>得（え）る</span> 'possible', and あり得（え）ない 'impossible'.<ul class='writeup-examples--holder'><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>まあ、それもあり得（え）るかもしれないけど...</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Well, that is possible, but…</div></li><li class='writeup-example'><div class='writeup-example--japanese'>田中（たなか）さんはすごく頭（あたま）がいいので、不合格（ふごうかく）になるなんて絶対（ぜったい）あり得（え）ない。</div><div class='writeup-example--english'>Tanaka-san is very smart, so it is absolutely impossible for him to fail.</div></li></ul></div></div>

Grammar Info

得(え)ない

unable to, cannot