~ざるを得ない

〜zaru wo enai

JLPT N2 Very formal, literary Chapter 83: N2: Inevitable (Cannot Help But), 1 of 2

Formation

Verb-ない form (drop ない) + ざるを得ない

Have no choice but to; cannot help but.

When to use

"Have no choice but to/cannot avoid doing" - the more common, less literary version of ざるを得ない.

Explanation

The ~ざるを得ない grammar point is used to indicate that one has no choice but to do something or cannot avoid doing it. It is formed from the negative form (ない) but replaces ない with ざる, followed by を得ない. (Note: する -> せざるを得ない.)

Example sentences

Inevitable (Cannot Help But)

Corpus examples (27)

Showing 25 of 27 corpus examples.