Chapter 12 — Advanced Predicate Endings

Japanese has a productive system for modifying verb meanings by attaching suffixes to the ます-stem or て-form. You have already encountered many of these: たい (want to), すぎる (too much), やすい (easy to), にくい (hard to), はじめる (begin to), 終わる (finish). This chapter introduces a new set of predicate endings that appear constantly at the N3 level and beyond. These are not obscure literary forms — they show up in daily conversation, news broadcasts, business emails, and fiction.

What unites the patterns in this chapter is that they all modify the endpoint, possibility, or tendency of an action. ざるを得ない says there is no way to avoid doing something. かねる says the speaker cannot bring themselves to do it. きる says the action was carried through completely. がち says it happens too often. Each one takes a verb and reshapes its meaning in a specific, predictable way.

Master these patterns and you will find that texts which once seemed dense with unfamiliar grammar suddenly become readable. These are among the most frequently tested grammar points at the N3 level, and for good reason — they are among the most frequently used in real Japanese.

12.1 ～ざるを得ない — "Have No Choice but To"

Meaning

ざるを得ない expresses that the subject has no choice but to perform the action. Circumstances force the action — it is not voluntary, but unavoidable. The English equivalent is "have no choice but to," "cannot help but," or "be compelled to."

Formation

ない-form of the verb, replacing ない with ざるを得ない.

More precisely: take the imperfective base (the form before ない) and attach ざるを得ない.

Important exception: する becomes せざるを得ない, not しざるを得ない. This is because ざる is a classical Japanese negative suffix, and the classical imperfective of する is せ. This is the only irregular form you need to memorize.

Etymology

ざる is the classical (文語) equivalent of ない. を得ない means "cannot obtain" — that is, "cannot get the option of not doing." So 認めざるを得ない literally means "cannot obtain the state of not recognizing" — in other words, "have no choice but to recognize."

You do not need to learn classical Japanese grammar for this pattern. Simply memorize ざるを得ない as a fixed ending. But understanding the etymology helps explain why する becomes せざる rather than しざる — it preserves the classical conjugation.

Examples

部長の　命令だから、従わざるを得ない。 "It's the department head's order, so I have no choice but to obey."

証拠が　これだけ　あれば、認めざるを得ない。 "With this much evidence, one cannot help but acknowledge it."

電車が　止まったので、タクシーで　行かざるを得なかった。 "The trains stopped, so I had no choice but to go by taxi."

会社の　方針が　変わったから、計画を　変更せざるを得ない。 "The company's policy has changed, so we have no choice but to revise the plan."

体調が　悪くても、仕事を　休めない。出勤せざるを得ない　状況だ。 "Even when I'm feeling unwell, I can't take off work. It's a situation where I'm compelled to go in."

この　結果を　見れば、失敗だったと　言わざるを得ない。 "Looking at these results, one has no choice but to say it was a failure."

Conjugation

ざるを得ない conjugates through its final ない:

Register

ざるを得ない is relatively formal. In casual speech, the same meaning is often expressed with しかたがない, しょうがない, or ～するしかない. But ざるを得ない appears frequently in news, essays, and business contexts, and you will encounter it in conversation as well, particularly when the speaker wants to emphasize the weight of the compulsion.

12.2 ～かねる — "Find It Difficult To, Cannot Bring Oneself To"

Meaning

かねる expresses that the speaker finds it psychologically or situationally difficult to perform an action. It does not mean physical inability — it means the speaker cannot bring themselves to do it, or that doing it would be inappropriate or awkward. It is the polite way of saying "I'm afraid I can't."

Formation

ます-stem + かねる

Examples

申し訳ございませんが、その　ご質問には　お答えしかねます。 "I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I cannot answer that question."

個人情報ですので、お教えしかねます。 "As it is personal information, I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

この　条件では、引き受けかねます。 "Under these conditions, I'm afraid I cannot accept."

彼の　行動は　理解しかねる。 "I cannot understand his behavior." (it's beyond my ability to comprehend)

まだ　情報が　少ないので、判断しかねている。 "There is still little information, so I'm finding it difficult to make a judgment."

Note the last example: かねている (with ている) means "I am currently in the state of finding it difficult to decide" — the indecision is ongoing.

Register and Usage

かねる is a polite and formal expression. It is the standard way for customer service representatives, receptionists, and businesspeople to deliver refusals without being blunt. When you hear お答えしかねます at a bank or government office, it means "no" — delivered with maximum politeness.

In casual speech, you would simply say できない or 無理 rather than かねる.

かねる itself conjugates as a 一段 verb:

12.3 ～かねない — "Might Well, There Is a Risk Of"

Meaning

かねない is the negative form of かねる, but its meaning is not "can do" — it is "might very well happen" or "there is a risk that." The logic is: if かねる means "find it difficult to do," then かねない means "cannot find it difficult to do" — in other words, the action is not difficult to imagine happening. It could easily happen, and the speaker is warning about that possibility.

かねない almost always carries a negative or undesirable implication. It is used to warn about bad outcomes.

Formation

ます-stem + かねない

Examples

このまま　放っておいたら、大きな　事故に　なりかねない。 "If we leave things as they are, it could very well turn into a major accident."

こんな　不注意は　命に　関わる　問題に　なりかねない。 "This kind of carelessness could become a life-threatening problem."

この　発言は　誤解を　招きかねない。 "This statement risks inviting misunderstanding."

無理を　続けると、体を　壊しかねない。 "If you keep pushing yourself too hard, you might well ruin your health."

その　情報が　漏れたら、大変な　ことに　なりかねません。 "If that information leaks, it could turn into a serious situation."

対策を　取らなければ、被害が　広がりかねない。 "If we don't take measures, the damage could easily spread."

かねる vs かねない — Summary

Do not confuse these two:

お答えしかねます。 "I'm afraid I cannot answer." (polite refusal) 問題に　なりかねない。 "It might become a problem." (warning)

They look similar but function completely differently. かねる is about the speaker's inability; かねない is about a situation's dangerous potential.

12.4 ～っぱなし — "Left in a State of"

Meaning

っぱなし (from 放し, the ます-stem of 放す "to release, to leave") expresses that something has been left in a particular state without being attended to. The implication is almost always negative — the state is undesirable, neglectful, or inconsiderate. Someone should have closed the door, turned off the TV, or put the tools away, but they didn't.

Formation

ます-stem + っぱなし

Examples

ドアを　開けっぱなしに　しないで。 "Don't leave the door open."

テレビを　つけっぱなしで　寝てしまった。 "I fell asleep with the TV left on."

水道を　出しっぱなしに　していた。 "I had left the water running."

三時間も　立ちっぱなしで、足が　痛い。 "I've been standing for three hours straight, and my feet hurt."

一日中　座りっぱなしは　体に　よくない。 "Sitting all day long is not good for your body."

道具を　使いっぱなしに　しないで、ちゃんと　片付けて。 "Don't just leave the tools lying around after using them — put them away properly."

借りた　本を　返さないまま、借りっぱなしだ。 "I've left the borrowed book unreturned."

Grammar Notes

っぱなし functions as a noun. It can be followed by:

• の + noun: 開けっぱなしのドア "a door left open"
• で: 立ちっぱなしで疲れた "tired from standing the whole time"
• だ/です: 電気がつけっぱなしだ "the light has been left on"
• にする: 開けっぱなしにする "to leave (it) open"

The に in ～っぱなしにする is particularly common. It means "to put/leave something in the state of ～っぱなし."

Usage

っぱなし is informal to neutral in register. You will hear it in daily conversation, see it in casual writing, and occasionally encounter it in news reports about negligence or carelessness. It is not particularly formal or literary.

12.5 ～きる / ～きれる / ～きれない — "Completely, Thoroughly"

Meaning

きる (from 切る "to cut") attaches to the ます-stem and means to do something completely, thoroughly, to the very end. The metaphor is "cutting through" — the action is carried all the way to its conclusion with nothing left.

きれる is the potential form: "can do completely." きれない is the negative potential: "cannot do completely" — and this is the most common of the three forms in everyday use.

Formation

ます-stem + きる / きれる / きれない

Examples with きる

マラソンを　最後まで　走りきった。 "I ran the marathon all the way to the end."

この　仕事は　一人で　やりきる　つもりだ。 "I intend to complete this work entirely on my own."

彼は　自分の　力を　信じきっている。 "He believes in his own ability completely." (absolute confidence)

疲れきって、何も　できなかった。 "I was completely exhausted and couldn't do anything."

Note 疲れきる — "to be utterly exhausted." 疲れきった顔 means "a face showing utter exhaustion." This combination is very common.

Examples with きれる

こんなに　たくさんの　料理、食べきれるかな。 "I wonder if I can eat all this food."

一日で　読みきれる　量ではない。 "It's not an amount you can finish reading in one day."

Examples with きれない

きれない is by far the most frequently encountered form. It expresses that the quantity or difficulty is too great to handle completely.

量が　多すぎて、食べきれない。 "There's too much — I can't eat it all."

数えきれないほどの　星が　見えた。 "I could see stars too numerous to count."

言いきれない　ほど　感謝している。 "I'm grateful beyond what words can express."

一人では　抱えきれない　問題だ。 "It's a problem too big to handle on my own."

この　スーツケースには　荷物が　入りきらない。 "The luggage won't all fit in this suitcase."

Conjugation

きる conjugates as a regular 五段 verb (きる → きります → きった → きらない). きれる and きれない conjugate as 一段 verbs.

Related: ～きった as an Adjective

The past form きった can function as a prenominal modifier:

疲れきった　表情 "an utterly exhausted expression" 使いきった　電池 "a completely used-up battery" 諦めきった　顔 "a face of total resignation"

12.6 ～がち — "Tend To, Prone To"

Meaning

がち expresses a tendency toward an undesirable state or action. The subject does something too often, or tends to fall into a negative pattern. The connotation is almost always negative — がち is not used for positive tendencies.

Formation

ます-stem + がち (for verbs) noun + がち (for a few fixed nouns)

Examples

彼は　最近　学校を　休みがちだ。 "He's been tending to miss school recently."

冬は　運動を　怠けがちに　なる。 "In winter, I tend to slack off on exercise."

一人暮らしだと、食事が　不規則に　なりがちだ。 "When you live alone, meals tend to become irregular."

大切な　ことを　忘れがちに　なってきた。 "I've been increasingly prone to forgetting important things."

仕事が　忙しいと、健康の　ことは　後回しに　しがちだ。 "When work is busy, people tend to put health on the back burner."

梅雨の　時期は　曇りがちな　天気が　続く。 "During the rainy season, cloudy weather tends to continue."

彼女は　子どもの　頃、病気がちだった。 "When she was a child, she was sickly."

Grammar Notes

がち functions as a な-adjective / noun:

• がちだ (predicate): 忘れがちだ "tends to forget"
• がちな + noun: 忘れがちなこと "things one tends to forget"
• がちに + verb: 遅れがちになる "comes to tend to be late"

Register

がち is neutral in register. It appears in both casual and formal contexts. It is very common in written Japanese — essays, news articles, and advice columns frequently use it to describe problematic tendencies.

12.7 ～気味 — "Slight Tendency, Touch Of"

Meaning

気味（ぎみ）expresses a slight, often unwelcome tendency or a mild degree of some condition. Where がち describes a strong or frequent tendency, 気味 describes something milder — a hint, a touch, the early signs of something.

Formation

ます-stem + 気味 (for verbs) noun + 気味 (for some nouns)

Examples

最近　ちょっと　太り気味だ。 "I've been putting on a bit of weight lately."

風邪気味なので、早めに　寝ます。 "I'm feeling a bit under the weather, so I'll go to bed early."

今日は　疲れ気味で、集中できない。 "I'm feeling a bit tired today and can't concentrate."

プロジェクトが　遅れ気味だ。 "The project is running slightly behind schedule."

最近　仕事が　忙しくて、寝不足気味だ。 "Work has been busy lately, and I'm a bit sleep-deprived."

今年は　例年に　比べて　気温が　下がり気味だ。 "Compared to an average year, temperatures have been dropping a bit."

Grammar Notes

気味 functions similarly to a な-adjective / noun:

• 気味だ (predicate): 太り気味だ
• 気味の + noun: 風邪気味の人 "a person with a slight cold"
• 気味で (conjunctive): 疲れ気味で集中できない

がち vs 気味

Both express negative tendencies, but they differ in degree and frequency:

忘れがちだ "I tend to forget (it happens a lot)" 疲れ気味だ "I'm a bit tired (just slightly)"

You would not say 忘れ気味 (forgetting is not something that comes in degrees) or 風邪がち (you either catch colds often, in which case 風邪を引きがち is correct, or you currently have a slight cold, in which case 風邪気味 is the right choice).

12.8 ～得る (うる/える) — "Possible, Can Happen"

Meaning

得る attaches to the ます-stem and means "it is possible to" or "it can happen." The most common use is in the fixed expressions あり得る ("possible, conceivable") and あり得ない ("impossible, unthinkable").

Pronunciation

得る has two pronunciations:

• うる — the traditional reading, used in formal/written style and in the dictionary form
• える — the more colloquial reading, common in spoken Japanese

Both are correct. In practice:

• あり得る is read as both ありうる and ありえる
• あり得ない is almost always read ありえない (the うる reading is rare in the negative)
• In conjugated forms other than the dictionary form, える is standard

Formation

ます-stem + 得る

Examples

そんな　こと、あり得ない！ "That's impossible! No way!"

最悪の　場合、何が　起こり得るか　考えておくべきだ。 "We should think about what could happen in the worst case."

あり得る　話だ。 "It's a plausible story."

誰にでも　起こり得る　ことだ。 "It's something that could happen to anyone."

この　計画は　成功し得る。 "This plan can succeed."

考え得る　すべての　可能性を　検討した。 "We examined every conceivable possibility."

今の　状況では、何でも　あり得る。 "In the current situation, anything is possible."

あり得ない in Everyday Speech

あり得ない has become one of the most common expressions in casual Japanese, used as an exclamation meaning "No way!" "Unbelievable!" or "That's insane!"

え、あり得ない！ "What?! No way!"

あの　値段は　あり得ない。高すぎる。 "That price is outrageous. It's too expensive."

あり得ないぐらい　おいしかった。 "It was unbelievably delicious."

In this casual usage, あり得ない has drifted from its literal meaning ("cannot exist/happen") to a general intensifier expressing disbelief or extreme degree. This is similar to how English "unbelievable" can mean "very good" rather than literally "not believable."

Conjugation

得る conjugates as a 一段 verb in the える reading:

In the prenominal position (before a noun), the うる reading is common:

あり得る話 (ありうるはなし) "a plausible story" 起こり得る事故 (おこりうるじこ) "an accident that could occur"

Register

得る in its productive use (attached to various verbs) is formal and written. You will see 起こり得る and 考え得る in essays, news articles, and academic writing. In casual speech, these would typically be replaced with かもしれない or 可能性がある.

However, あり得る and あり得ない are universal — they appear across all registers, from formal writing to casual texting.

12.9 Vocabulary List