日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

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

  • Verbs: て-form + しょうがない — 気になってしょうがない, 笑えてしょうがない (limited to involuntary/spontaneous verbs)
  • い-adjectives: drop 〜い → 〜くて + しょうがない — 忙しくてしょうがない
  • な-adjectives: stem + で + しょうがない — 不安でしょうがない
  • Nouns: essentially unused; recast as an adjective or verb instead
  • Tense/politeness is carried by ない: 〜てしょうがありません / 〜てしょうがなかった
  • Register ladder: しょうがない (casual) < しようがない < しかたがない・しかたがありません (written/formal)

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.