かねる details
say + cannot bring myself to
ii kaneru
cannot bring myself to; am not in a position to
meaning: cannot bring myself to say
誠に恐れ入りますが、その件には対応しかねる。
makoto ni osoreirimasu ga, sono ken ni wa taioushi kaneru.
I'm terribly sorry, but on that matter, I cannot bring myself to accommodate you. formal
うーん、それはちょっと判断しかねるなあ。
uun, sore wa chotto handanshi kaneru naa.
Hmm, that's something I cannot bring myself to judge easily. casual
- past
- polite
Examples
cannot bring myself to; am not in a position to — a formal admission of inability or a polite refusal, common in service and business language
誠に恐れ入りますが、その件には対応しかねます。
makoto ni osoreirimasu ga, sono ken ni wa taioushikanemasu.
I'm terribly sorry, but on that matter, I cannot bring myself to accommodate you. formal
うーん、それはちょっと判断しかねるなあ。
uun, sore wa chotto handanshikaneru naa.
Hmm, that's something I cannot bring myself to judge easily. casual
彼はしばらく黙ったまま、返事をしかねていた。
kare wa shibaraku damatta mama, henji o shikanete ita.
He stayed silent for a while, unable to bring himself to answer. neutral
Formation
{V-masu-stem}かねるattaches to ます-stem
Notes
Related patterns
Similar
Both build "cannot bring myself to" on a masu-stem, but がたい is an ADJECTIVE stating a general, often written judgment about anyone's reaction (許しがたい行為), while かねる is a VERB used almost exclusively in first-person, formal service refusals (お引き受けしかねます).
Lookalikes
One かない apart — かねる is a first-person "I am not in a position to" refusal (お答えしかねます), かねない is a third-person warning that a bad outcome is possible (事故になりかねない); mixing them up flips who the sentence is even about.