はずがない | Grammar

Structure

[verb (plain)] + はずがない [i-adj] + はずがない [na-adj] + な + はずがない [noun] + の + はずがない

Description

はずがない means "there's no way that…", "it can't be that…": going by what the speaker knows, the thing cannot be true. It follows the plain form, present or past; a な-adjective keeps な and a noun takes の.

。

There's no way he would say such a thing.

。

There's no way that store is cheap.

。

There's no way this exam is easy.

。

There's no way this is a lie.

。

There's no way she knew about that.

× これが嘘はずがない → これが嘘のはずがない

はずがない or ないはずだ

はずがない denies the whole idea. A negative verb before はずだ is milder: it says what you expect, and you could be wrong.

。

There's no way he's coming.

。

He isn't supposed to be coming.

Usage notes

These go beyond plain はずがない.

Polite form

In polite speech the ない becomes ありません.

。

There is no way such a thing could happen.

はずはない and はずない

With は in place of が the denial is a little more pointed. In casual speech the particle drops out altogether.

。

That person can't possibly be the culprit.

。

That can't be right.

Examples

、。

I've studied this much, so there's no way I'll fail.

。

There's no way he would do something so terrible.

。

There's no way that kind person would tell a lie.

、。

It just arrived yesterday, so there's no way it's broken.

、。

She's never been to Japan, so there's no way she can speak Japanese.

。。

There's no way this problem is easy. Even the teacher said it was difficult.

、。

I locked the door, so there's no way someone got in.

、。

That store is high-end, so there's no way it's cheap.

。

There is no way he knew about that fact.

、。

It's still 6 in the morning, so there's no way the store is open.

。。

There's absolutely no way those two will break up. They get along so well.

、。

I thought there was no way she would come, but she did.

References

はずがないBunpro