～得る／～得ない — Within / Beyond the Realm of Possibility
Attached to a verb stem, 得る marks that something is possible or can conceivably happen, while 得ない marks it as impossible or unthinkable. It speaks to theoretical/logical possibility rather than personal ability. Common in formal speech and writing, especially about what could or could not occur.
Structure
[Verb ます-stem] + 得る (うる/える) / 得ない (えない)
Examples
誰にでも起こり得る問題です。
Dare ni demo okoriuru mondai desu.
It's a problem that could happen to anyone.
起こり + 得る (uru) = it is possible for it to happen
そんなことは、あり得ない。
Sonna koto wa, arienai.
Something like that is impossible / unthinkable.
あり + 得ない (enai) = there is no possibility of it
この計画は成功し得ると思う。
Kono keikaku wa seikou shiuru to omou.
I think this plan can (conceivably) succeed.
成功し + 得る (shiuru) states a theoretical possibility of success
• Affirmative 得る reads うる or える; the negative is always えない. • Refers to logical/theoretical possibility, not learned skill (use 〜られる for personal ability). • Register: formal/written; あり得ない is very common even in casual speech.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～得る／～得ない is tested against.
vs できる
できる is personal ability/permission ('I can do'); 得る is about whether something is possible in principle.
vs かねない
かねない specifically warns of a bad possibility; 得る is neutral about whether the possible outcome is good or bad.
More modal expressions
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