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Grammar detail: ～ずに（は）いられない
～ずに（は）いられない - cannot help but ...
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verb negative stem + ず
+ に（は）
+ いられない
means cannot help but ~
The ず negative form of a verb is an archaic form which simply uses ず instead of the modern ない. In this construction, the ず negative is combined with the negative potential form of いる (to be / to exist), which means 'cannot be'. So the construction literally means 'without doing ~, I cannot exist' - in other words, 'I cannot help but do ~'.
Japanese contains several subtly different ways of expressing 'must do ~', 'have to do ~', 'feel obliged to do ~', 'cannot help but do ~' etc (as does English!).
See also:
- verb negative stem + ずに - without doing
- verb potential form - ability to do
- いけない, ならない etc - various ways to express obligation
Kanji used in this grammar
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