敵わない

かなわない【敵わない】

⇒ かなう［敵う］(¶かなわない)

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かなわない【敵わない】

1 〔勝てない〕 cannot match; be no match for…; not be sb's equal; not be in the same league as…; be powerless against….

●こと語学にかけては君にはかなわない. I am no match for you in foreign languages [the languages field, learning languages].

・こんなに敵が大勢ではとてもかなわない. There's no contending against so many enemies. | There's no hope [possibility] of winning against an enemy of such size.

・かなわないと見て逃げたな. They thought they were no match for us [weren't up to us] and ran away, I suppose.

・鬼コーチも奥さんにはかなわないらしい. He may be a tyrant of a coach, but it seems he's no match for his wife.

・物を造る速さや製品の均質度の点では人間は機械にかなわない. When it comes to speed in making things and consistent quality in the finished products, human beings are no match for machines.

・あいつの記憶力にはとうていかなわない. I simply can't compete with him when it comes to remembering things. | He has a far, far better memory than me.

2 〔我慢できない･やりきれない〕 cannot stand [bear]; find 《the noise》 intolerable; be too much [difficult, hard] for one.

●こう暑くてはかなわない. I (just) can't stand this heat. | The heat is too much for me [more than I can bear]. | It's unbearably hot.

・こう忙しくちゃかなわない. I'm intolerably busy. | Being this busy is too much for me.

・道路工事の音がうるさくてかなわない. The noise from the roadworks is absolutely intolerable. | I (just) can't stand the noise from the roadworks.

・子供は甘やかすとすぐ図にのるからかなわないよ. If you let children do what they want it goes to their heads. It's awful. | It's terrible the way children get carried away if you spoil them.

3 〔できない･許されない〕 〈行為が主語〉 be impossible; 〈人が主語〉 cannot do.

●杖なしでは歩くこともかなわない. Without a cane [stick], I can't even walk.

・いきなり海に投げ出されて SOS を発信することもかなわず, ひたすら救助を待った. I was thrown into the sea so suddenly that it wasn't even possible to send an SOS so I simply hoped help would come.