Grammar › No Choice & Difficulty
ざるを得ない — “have no choice but to, cannot help but”
States you're forced into an action by circumstances, against your own preference
Verb's negative-stem (the ない-form minus ない) + ざるを得ない says circumstances leave no real alternative — “I have no choice but to do X,” often despite not wanting to. する becomes the irregular せざるを得ない. It's formal/written and reads as a reluctant admission, not a cheerful decision.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Nai-stem + ざるを得ない | 行かざるを得ない — I have no choice but to go |
| する exception | せざるを得ない — have no choice but to do (it) |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 給料が下がったので、節約せざるを得ない。 | きゅうりょうがさがったので、せつやくせざるをえない。 kyuuryougasagattanode、setsuyakusezaruwoenai。 | Since my pay went down, I have no choice but to economize. |
| 天候が悪く、試合を中止せざるを得なかった。 | てんこうがわるく、しあいをちゅうしせざるをえなかった。 tenkougawaruku、shiaiwochuushisezaruwoenakatta。 | The weather was bad, so we had no choice but to cancel the game. |
| 上司の指示なので、従わざるを得ない。 | じょうしのしじなので、したがわざるをえない。 joushinoshijinanode、shitagawazaruwoenai。 | It's my boss's order, so I have no choice but to comply. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
する doesn't become しざるを得ない — the irregular form is せざるを得ない, one of the few places classical する conjugation survives in modern grammar.
