てたまらない
Meanings
- Can't help but want to
- Very; extremely (to feel strong emotion or desire)
- Be overwhelmed with; be unbearable (emotion or sensation)
About this pattern
Explanation
てたまらない is used to express an intense feeling or strong desire that the speaker cannot bear or suppress. It conveys a sense of being overwhelmed by the emotion, such as extreme happiness, longing, pain, or desire. The pattern attaches to a preceding verb or adjective in its te-form (or appropriate connective form) and ends with たまらない to emphasize the unbearable or overwhelming nature of the feeling. Use it when you want to convey a vivid, almost uncontainable emotion, often in personal, subjective statements. It is more emotional than milder expressions like すごく or とても and can come across as dramatic in casual speech. Typical contexts include expressing longing for something/someone, intense eagerness, or intense discomfort.
Learn in context
Example sentences
Hearing her voice, I'm so happy I can't stand it.
This painting is so beautiful I can't take my eyes off it.
I want to go back to Japan so badly I can't wait.
His story is so interesting that I can't get enough of it.
I'm so sleepy today I can hardly stand it.
I want to see this movie again so badly.
Keep studying
More N2 patterns
to be able to; can; possible to do
View detailsUnable to; Cannot; Cannot possibly
View detailsCan't help doing; Have no choice but to...
View detailsto not ~; un~; archaic negative form of ず used in literary Japanese
View detailsWith the intention of doing; Instead of...; Act as if or pretend; Believing that...; Thinking that...
View detailsanyhow; at any rate; in any case; I have no doubt that; probably
View details