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Decoded Slug: ～ていられない (〜te irarenai)
Japanese JLPT Grammar Point
～ていられない (〜te irarenai)
～ていられない (〜te irarenai)
Short explanation:
Expresses that one cannot afford to do something; 'can't keep on', 'unable to continue'.
Formation:
Verb-て form + いられない
Examples:
こんなに忙しいのに、無理に遊んでいられない。
Konna ni isogashii noni, muri ni asonde irarenai.
I'm so busy that I can't afford to play around.
寒すぎて、外で待っていられない。
Samusugite, soto de matte irarenai.
It's too cold, I can't keep waiting outside.
この問題は重要だから、放っておいていられない。
Kono mondai wa juuyou dakara, houtte oite irarenai.
This issue is important, so we can't afford to ignore it.
彼女の態度が我慢できず、黙っていられない。
Kanojo no taido ga gaman dekizu, damatte irarenai.
I can't stand her attitude, so I can't keep silent.
Long explanation:
The ～ていられない grammar point is used to express a feeling of not being able to continue doing something or not being able to keep on with a certain state. It can be translated as 'can't keep on', 'unable to continue' or 'can't afford to' in English. The formation is the same for all verb types.