can't help

can't help

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

can't help (third-person singular simple present can't help, no present participle, simple past couldn't help, no past participle)

1. (idiomatic) Be unable to avoid a situation, or stop something from happening.

   I can't help crying whenever I see "Romeo and Juliet".

Usage notes

• Only negative forms of can help have this meaning of cannot avoid.

  No one can help laughing when he comes on stage.

• Can help can have the meaning of be able to avoid only when the context has already established the use of can't help.

  • A: I can't help being scared.
  • B: Of course you can help it.

• This is a catenative verb that takes the gerund or, with but, the bare infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs.

  I can't help agreeing with you.

  I can't help but agree with you.

Translations

not be able to avoid something

Chinese: Cantonese: 忍唔住 (jan2 m4 zyu6) Mandarin: 忍不住 (zh) (rěnbuzhù), 不禁 (zh) (bùjīn) French: être plus fort que soi, ne pas pouvoir s'empêcher de, ne rien pouvoir y faire German: nicht umhin können, nicht lassen können, nicht anders können als Italian: non poter fare a meno di, non potere fare a meno di, non poterci fare niente Japanese: ...しないではいられない (...shinaide wa irarenai) Korean: 안 … ᆯ(할) 수 없다 (an … -l(hal) su eopda) Russian: не мочь не (ne močʹ ne) Spanish: no poder evitar de, no poder dejar de Swedish: inte kunna låta bli, inte rå för, inte kunna rå för

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• planchet