can't help

English

Alternative forms

cannot help

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

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

(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

Anagrams

planchet

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