〜ざるを得ない（ざるをえない）

About

～ざるを得えない is used to express that one has no choice but to perform the action in question. It includes a nuance that the subject does not necessarily want to perform the action, but must.

(～ざる is an old-fashioned auxiliary verb that is similar (but different) to the modern ～ない and has limited usage.)

～ざるを得えない translates to "to have no choice but to; have to; must X".

E.g. オフィスが遠とおくなり、車くるまを買かわざるを得えなくなった。 "(The distance to) my office increased, so I was forced to buy a car."

E.g. エコノミーが空あいていなかったので、ファーストクラスを予約よやくせざるを得えなかった。 "There was no space in economy, so I was forced to book in first class."

E.g. 風邪かぜをひいて、仕事しごとを休やすまざるをえませんでした。 "I caught a cold and had no choice but to miss work."

～ざるをえない is commonly used in spoken polite scenarios, and has a slight formal nuance. It can be used in casual conversation as well.

Summary

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  ～ざるを得えない is used to express that one has no choice but to perform the action in question

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  ～ざるを得えない translates to "to have no choice but to; have to; must X"