ようがない/ようもない - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

there’s no way to
it’s impossible to

Structure

  • Verb[stem] + ようがない ・ ようもない
  • Noun + の + Verb[stem] + ようがない ・ ようもない

:warning: This is not Verb[volitional]

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#2

“It is impossible to explain”

Given translation: 弁解しようがない

Can ~得ない also be used? E.g. 弁解し得ない?

Is my understanding correct in the difference in meaning?

  • 弁解しようがない: It is impossible (too difficult) to explain.
  • 弁解し得ない: It is impossible (not able) to explain.
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#4

Hey @fjdksleiwoqp !

Yes, you could use 〜得ない, but it will change the nuance of the sentence.
弁解のしようがない。There is no way I can explain. (It is impossible to come up with an excuse because I should have known better, and giving an excuse will make matters worse)
弁解し得ない。It is impossible for me to explain. (It is impossible for me to give an excuse because I am struggling internally to talk about this right now. I am very flustered right now)

I hope that this answers your question!

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#5

That is helpful, thank you for the clarification!

#6

The current writeup does not really clarify the distinction between the use of も・が. I imagine it is not really a large difference in meaning, but it may help to have at least one of the examples use the も construction.