, or
in more written Japanese, means "can't help doing": the feeling is too strong to hold back, and you end up doing it. ないでは goes on the ない-form as it is; for ず, replace the ない with ず – 笑わない gives
. The verb is usually one of feeling or reaction – laughing, crying, worrying, being moved – and the polite form ends in
.
、。
Whenever I watch that film, I can't help crying.
、。
When I hear his jokes, I can't help laughing.
。
I can't help worrying about my mother living alone.
、。
When I see something wrong, I can't help saying something.
With ず, becomes せずにはいられない, and becomes , read こずにはいられない.
。
I can't help worrying about my child's future.
- × 泣くではいられない → 泣かないではいられない
- × 心配しずにはいられない → 心配せずにはいられない
Whose feeling
On its own, the pattern describes the speaker's own urge. For someone else, add or .
、。
If a friend is in trouble, I can't help but step in.
。
He seems unable to stop worrying about his mother.
ないではいられない or ざるを得ない
attaches the same way as ず, but the pressure comes from outside: the circumstances leave you no choice. ないではいられない is an urge from inside you.
、。
The trains stopped, so I had no choice but to take a taxi.
、。
When I heard the news, I couldn't help crying.
ないではいられない or ないではおかない
(or
) looks alike but describes the effect something is bound to have on people, or a firm intention. ないではいられない is always someone's own urge.
。
This film cannot fail to move anyone who sees it.
Register
The two forms mean the same. is the old negative, and the ず form is the more written of the two; ないでは is the more spoken. Both are formal next to everyday speech, where the same thing is or with ～てしまう.
。
I can't help worrying.
The more written form.
。
I can't help worrying.
The more spoken form.
。
I keep checking my phone without meaning to.
Lingaku