modality N3 common casualpolitewritten
考えられない — unthinkable / inconceivable
考えられない ・ かんがえられない
Meaning
- unthinkable / inconceivable / I can't imagine ~ — the speaker rejects something as impossible to accept or believe
Key sentence
彼が嘘をつくなんて考えられない。
It's unthinkable that he would lie.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Clause + なんて / とは | … なんて / とは + 考えられない | 失敗するなんて考えられない / 本当だとは考えられない |
When: Functions as a fixed expression — the potential negative of 考える used to declare something out of the question. Often emphatic, voicing disbelief or disapproval.
Examples
この値段でこの品質は考えられない。
This quality at this price is unbelievable.
今さら計画を中止するなんて考えられない。
Calling off the plan at this point is inconceivable.
Easily confused with
〜得ない 〜得ない attaches to a verb stem to say an action can't possibly occur (あり得ない = 'impossible'). 考えられない is a standalone phrase rejecting a whole idea as unthinkable — more about the speaker's disbelief than about logical impossibility. に違いない Opposite poles of judgment: に違いない = 'it must be so' (firm conviction it's true); 考えられない = 'it can't be so' (firm conviction it's false).
See 考えられない in real sentences
Jengo shows 考えられない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.