At a glance
～に堪えない has two uses. With an emotion noun, it means "I am deeply (grateful, moved, saddened)". With a verb, it means "too awful to (watch, listen to, read)" or "not worth doing". Both are formal.
[Emotion noun] + に堪えない
[Verb dictionary form] + に堪えない
感謝の念に堪えません。 I am deeply grateful.
How to form it
| Attaches to | Form | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emotion noun | Noun + に堪えない | 感激に堪えない | deeply moved |
| Emotion noun + の念 | Noun + の念に堪えない | 感謝の念に堪えない | deeply grateful |
| Verb (dictionary form) | Verb + に堪えない | 見るに堪えない | too awful to watch |
| Before a noun | Verb + に堪えない + noun | 聞くに堪えない悪口 | insults too awful to hear |
The polite form is 堪えません. The past is 堪えなかった or 堪えませんでした.