日本語道場
Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2
N3
~てしょうがない
~te shou ga nai
unbearably (colloquial)
When to use it
Use ~てしょうがない to say a feeling or physical sensation is so intense you can't do anything about it ("can't stand it," "unbearably"). It is the casual spoken cousin of ~てしかたがない / ~てたまらない, so it fits hallway grumbling and calls with colleagues but should be swapped for ~てしかたがありません or ~てなりません in reports and formal email. It attaches only to states you can't control — emotions, sensations, involuntary reactions — not to deliberate actions.
Formation
Examples
There's still no reply from the client and I can't stop worrying about it.
Right before the closing of accounts, we're insanely busy.
The meeting dragged on and I could barely stay awake.
I just can't get over the way he put it.
I'm unbearably nervous about next week's presentation.