N2 Choice, Necessity, and Urges

~て(は)いられない: meaning, usage and examples

~て(は)いられない means: can't afford to... / have no time to...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 締しめ切きりが近ちかいから、のんびりしてはいられない。

   The deadline is close, so I can't afford to relax.

2. 大変たいへんな時ときだから、笑わらってはいられない。

   It's a difficult time, so I can't afford to laugh.

3. 試験しけんまであと一週間いっしゅうかんだから、遊あそんではいられない。

   There is only a week left until the exam, so I cannot afford to play around.

4. 子供こどもが熱ねつを出だしたと聞きいて、じっとしてはいられなかった。

   When I heard my child had a fever, I could not just sit still.

When to use it

Use てはいられない when a situation is too urgent or serious to keep doing something, usually something relaxed or passive. It means "I cannot afford to keep..." or "I cannot just...". Common verbs are のんびりする, 遊あそぶ, 待まつ, 黙だまる and じっとする, as in 試験しけんが近ちかいから、遊あそんではいられない.

Nuance

Conversational and neutral. It expresses urgency or impatience about the speaker's own situation. The verb is usually a state or relaxed activity the speaker wants to stop doing. ばかりはいられない softens it: "cannot keep only doing...".

Compare

ないではいられない means "cannot help doing" something (笑わらわないではいられない), so the feeling pushes you to act. てはいられない means the situation stops you from continuing: のんびりしてはいられない. わけにはいかない is about social or moral reasons: 休やすむわけにはいかない.

Tip: Look for the reason in the first clause, often ～から or ～のに, followed by a relaxed verb such as 待まつ or のんびりする.