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N1
〜てはかなわない／〜てはたまらない
Meaning
Indicates that having such a state continue is painful and unbearable. 「〜てはかなわない」 and 「〜てはたまらない」 are nearly synonymous. However, 「かなわない」 and 「たまらない」 standing alone are also words with other meanings—「敵わない」 (cannot match) and 「堪らない」 (unbearable), respectively.
Examples
- 毎日こう暑くてはかなわない。 I cannot stand it being this hot every day.
- こんな無理な要求ばかりされてはたまらない。 I cannot put up with being given such unreasonable demands all the time.