GRAMMAR DETAIL

〜きれない

cannot finish · too much to complete

Indicates that an action cannot be completed because the quantity or degree exceeds what can be handled.

Examples

料理が多すぎて、一人では食べきれない。

There is too much food for one person to finish.

ここにある荷物は一人では運びきれない。

One person cannot carry all the luggage here.

思い出が多すぎて、一晩では語りきれない。

There are too many memories to recount in a single night.

Structure: きれない follows a verb's masu-stem to indicate that an amount or degree exceeds one's capacity to finish the action.
Basic usage: 料理が多すぎて、一人では食べきれない。 says there is too much food for one person to finish.

Ability to act versus ability to finish
- 食べられない can indicate being unable to eat at all. 食べきれない focuses on being unable to finish everything even if eating some is possible.
Dictionary, potential, and negative forms
- 食べきる describes eating everything, and 食べきれる is the potential form, being able to finish. 食べきれない negates that completion ability, with the past expressed as 食べきれなかった.