Can't very well: 〜わけにはいかない
Verb (dictionary) + わけにはいかない / Verb in ない + わけにはいかない
Verb (dictionary) + わけにはいかない: “I can't very well”, for moral or social reasons. With a verb in ない: “I really have to”.
In short
〜わけにはいかない says you can't do something, not because you're unable, but because the situation, morality or other people won't allow it: “I can't very well…”. With a negative verb, 〜ないわけにはいかない becomes a social obligation: “I can't not…”.
- お客さんが来るので、まだ帰るわけにはいかない。おきゃくさんがくるので、まだかえるわけにはいかない。A client's coming, so I can't very well leave yet.
- 明日は試験だから、遊んでいるわけにはいかない。あしたはしけんだから、あそんでいるわけにはいかない。I've got an exam tomorrow, so I can't afford to fool around.
- 先生に頼まれたら、行かないわけにはいかない。せんせいにたのまれたら、いかないわけにはいかない。If my teacher asks me, I can hardly refuse to go.
The basics
わけ means “reason, logic”. 〜わけにはいかない literally means “it can't go in the direction of…”: nothing physically stops you acting, but it wouldn't be right given the situation, your responsibilities or how others see it. English “can't very well”, “can't afford to”, “can hardly”.
I can't very well go home yet.
- other
- verb
- noun
- grammatical form
- 仕事が残っているので、先に帰るわけにはいかない。しごとがのこっているので、さきにかえるわけにはいかない。There's still work to do, so I can't very well leave before the others.
- これは借りた本だから、捨てるわけにはいかない。これはかりたほんだから、すてるわけにはいかない。It's a borrowed book, so I can't just throw it away.
How to form it, and the double negative
Dictionary form + わけにはいかない: a moral ban (“I can't very well…”). ない-form + わけにはいかない: a moral obligation (“I can't not…”, “I really have to…”). Politely: わけにはいきません.
| Form | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb + わけにはいかない | I can't very well | 休むわけにはいかない |
| Verb in ない + わけにはいかない | I have to (morally) | 休まないわけにはいかない |
| polite | わけにはいきません | お受けするわけにはいきません |
- 熱があるが、今日は休むわけにはいかない。ねつがあるが、きょうはやすむわけにはいかない。I've got a fever, but I can't afford to stay home today.
- これだけ熱が高いと、休まないわけにはいかない。これだけねつがたかいと、やすまないわけにはいかない。With a fever this high, I really have to stay home.
わけにはいかない, できない, てはいけない
できない is about ability: 泳げない, “I can't swim”. 〜てはいけない is about an external rule: ここで泳いではいけない, “swimming is not allowed here”. 〜わけにはいかない is about your own conscience in the situation: 子どもを見ているので、泳ぐわけにはいかない, “I'm watching the children, so I can't very well go swimming”.
| Form | Reason for the “no” |
|---|---|
| 泳げない | I'm not able to |
| 泳いではいけない | it's not allowed (rule) |
| 泳ぐわけにはいかない | it wouldn't be right in my situation |
- 子どもを見ているので、泳ぐわけにはいかない。こどもをみているので、およぐわけにはいかない。I'm watching the children, so I can't very well go swimming.
Common mistakes
- Seeing it as a physical impossibility: for “I can't manage to”, use the potential (行けない), not わけにはいかない.
- Forgetting the double negative: 行かないわけにはいかない doesn't mean “I can't go”, but “I have to go”.
- Mixing it up with わけがない (“there's no way”) and わけではない (“it's not that”): only わけにはいかない is about what you can allow yourself.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Hankyū Kyōto Line (Relationships) of the Kyoto lines.