Can’t not
No way to avoid
Structure
- Verb[ ない ] + わけにはいかない
I was wondering, if I wanted to say: When I think about OO I can’t help feel sorry/sympathy for them… I guess I could say
。。。〇〇を考えているときは、同情しないわけには行かない。
?
I looked up the grammar in Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar and it appears that would not be a typical use of the phrase. The entry describes the grammar as, “A phrase which is used to indicate that one cannot do … due to an external circumstance” (p. 581). The examples given then all show actions being prevented by circumstances (obstructions, conflicts, obligations, etc.). There aren’t any examples pertaining to feelings, emotions, etc.
ないわけにはいかない (p. 583) can also be thought of as “no other choice but to do…,” which would not fit an emotional statement, per se. With emotions, there would not be any choice or doing, per se–not in the way that this phrase would imply, anyway.
What is the difference between these two grammar structures? They seem to have the same meaning. Both share the basic meaning of “need to do.”
Cant help but doing =Vないではいらない
No way to avoid doing=Vないわけにはいかない
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For ないではいらない and ないわけにはいかない I think the difference might be the first is more compulsory whereas the latter is more of a foregone conclusion. The English translations you listed tend to blur this distinction, but when you consider ないではいらない is “cannot resist” and ないわけにはいかない is “no way to avoid,” I think the nuance might come through a little better.
I got the いられない grammar points wrong several times before it started to sink in.
Hey there!
They do have a very similar translation, but the nuance they have is different. ずにはいられない is used when you can’t help (control) yourself but to do something or act a certain way. ないわけにはいかない is usually used when you have to do something because there is an external force making you do something.
For example,
こんな美味しそうなケーキが目の前にあったら、食べずにはいられない。The nuance this carries is ‘If there was a cake that looks as delicious as this in front of me, I won’t be able to pass the opportunity to eat it (because I love cake and it looks delicious).’ In this sentence you have a reason why you cannot resist.
友達が頑張って誕生日ケーキを作ってくれたから、不味くても食べないわけにはいかない。The nuance this has is ‘Because my friend tried their best and made me a birthday cake, there is no way I am not going to eat it even if it taste bad (because if I don’t eat it, it is going to hurt my friend’s feelings).’ In this sentence, you need to act a certain way because of a reason that is outside of your control.
I hope that makes sense!
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The English translations for these two examples on this point are really unnatural English from what is usually expressed in these situations.
First:
- ダイエット中だからといって、何も食べない訳にはいかない。
Just because I am on a diet doesn’t mean that I can’t not eat food.
—
The trouble comes from the triple negative. “Just because I’m on a diet” is expressing some kind of food restriction. That is followed by “doesn’t mean” which is used to negate what follows: “I can’t not eat food” or “I must eat food”/“eating food is unavoidable”.
I suppose one could say someone is trying to say that they could starve themselves further and not eat at all, but that’s a totally unnatural thing to express here. Drop the ‘not’ and you get the natural “just because I’m on a diet doesn’t mean I can’t eat. “.
Second:
- めんどくさいからと言って、宿題をしない訳にはいかない。
Just because it’s a hassle doesn’t mean that you can’t not do your homework.
—
The same problem as the first really. No one would say “just because it’s a hassle doesn’t mean you have to do your homework (you don’t have to do things because they are a hassle)”. I’m sure the author means something like “just because it’s a hassle doesn’t mean you can skip it”, meaning the English translation has an extra ‘not’.
That’s all I wanted to say. It’s not really about whether the Japanese is correct, but rather that these examples don’t make sense to this native English speaker. All the other examples are good.