N3 Level

「Learn Japanese」 ~訳がない as “there’s no way that~, it can’t be that~” (わけ Grammar Patterns Pt. 4)

「Learn Japanese」 ~訳がない as “there’s no way that~, it can’t be that~”

訳 (わけ) MASTERPOST:
http://learnjapanese.becauseofdreams.com/2017/03/01/the-%e8%a8%b3-%e3%82%8f%e3%81%91-masterpost/

The grammar 訳がない is often confused with 訳ではない, and that’s understandably so; both grammar patterns use the word 訳, use the negative form of the word ある, and use subject/topic marking particles が and は (which themselves are even more often confused with each other).

Despite this similarity in the construction, these two grammar patterns have completely opposite meanings in a way, in that 訳ではない expresses a softened and partial negation of something while 訳がない (“it’s not like~”) expresses an emphasized and outright negation of something (“there’s no way~”). 訳がない’s meaning should come as more intuitive from the grammar of it’s construction. As the word 訳 means “reason” and がない (the Negative-Form of がある) means “to not be, to not exist, to not have,” this construction literally translates to “there is not reason that~,” which can then naturally transition into “there’s no way that~, it’s impossible that~, it can’t be that~.”

*This grammar pattern can actually be used as 訳はない as well, albeit it is less common than 訳がない. Much more often, in casual speech, the usage of particles が or は is dropped completely.

*The phrase わけない (sometimes even used as わけもない) is also used to express that something is very easy or simple. (Ex. わけもないことであった – “it was a simple act to pull off”) It is rather simple itself however to know when this version is being used because it grammatically acts in the same way as an adjective word.

Construction:
Plain-Form VERB + (という) + 訳がない
*Most commonly exhibited in present tense
い-ADJECTIVE + 訳がない
な-ADJECTIVE + な + 訳がない
NOUN + (の/である) + 訳がない

Example(s):

僕の妹がこんなに可愛いわけがない
Boku no imouto ga konnani kawaii wake ga nai
“There’s no way my little sister can be this cute/My little sister can’t be this cute”

ぼくが嘘をつくわけないだろう?
Boku ga uso o tsuku wake nai darou?
“There’s no way that I would be lying, is there?!”

そんなわけがない
sonna wake ga nai
“There’s no way that’s true/That can’t be true!/That’s impossible!”

いるわけない
Iru wakenai
“There’s no way I would want that”

この大切な記憶を忘れるわけがない。
Kono taisetsu na kioku o wasureru wake ga nai
“There’s no way I’ll forget this precious memory.”

彼女が私を気に入るわけがない。
Kanojo ga watashi o ki ni iru wake ga nai
“There’s no way she’d be interested in me.”

この広いアパートは安いわけがない
Kono hiroi aparto wa yasui wake ga nai
“This spacious apartment can’t be cheap”

彼はいつも遅刻する、真面目な学生であるわけがない
Kare wa itsumo chikoku suru, majime na gakusei de aru wake ga nai
“That guy is always showing up late, there’s no way he’s a serious student”

その方法はたくさんの欠点がある。効果的なわけがない。
Sono houhou wa takusan no ketten ga aru. Koukateki na wake ga nai
“That approach is full of drawbacks. There’s no way it’ll be effective.”

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