に堪(た)えないCannot bear to, Cannot stand to, Too much to, Cannot go on doing, Cannot tolerate

に堪(た)えない is a construction that will translate as ‘to not be able to bear (A)’, or ‘to not be able to tolerate (A)’. It is a mix of the case-marking particle に, and the negative form of the る-Verb 堪(た)える ‘to tolerate’, 堪(た)えない.

In this meaning, に堪(た)えない will be used following verbs. This is in contrast to the に堪(た)えない grammar point that follows nouns, and means ‘to be very (A)’, but is more literally ‘to be so (A) I can’t stand it’.

Although 堪(た)える will be used more often than other kanji that have the same reading and similar meanings, this is not always the case. Occasionally 耐(た)える ‘to withstand’ will be used when the emphasis is on the ability to endure (A), while 絶(た)える ‘to discontinue’, or ‘to peter out’ will be used when the emphasis is on not being able to suppress (A). For 絶(た)える, this is especially used in the case of strong feelings.

Caution

The affirmative form of に堪(た)える may also be used to express that something is ‘worth doing’. A closer interpretation of this would be similar to an English phrase like ‘to be passable for (A)’. Rather than meaning that something is particularly suitable, it just highlights that it also acceptably falls in the category of (A), despite not being intended for it, or perhaps not expected.