喜樂美語
  1. 1a/ʌnˈeɪbəl/無法

    Not able to do something, because you do not have the power, skill, time, or chance to do it.

    「unable to do something」就是「沒辦法做某件事」，是 able 的相反。它後面一定接 to + 動詞（unable to sleep），比口語的 can't 正式一點，常出現在寫作或比較正式的場合。可以想成「be 動詞 + unable + to do」＝當下做不到這件事。

    示範例句 · Example

    Lucy was unable to find out what had happened to her lost cat.

    中文翻譯露西無法查出她走失的貓發生了什麼事。

    常見搭配

    • unable to do something

      無法做某事

      not able to do a particular thing

      She was unable to answer the last question.

    • be unable to come

      無法出席

      cannot attend, in a polite way

      He was unable to come because he was ill.

    • unable to sleep

      睡不著

      cannot get to sleep

      Unable to sleep, she watched the rain outside.

    意思相近

    powerlessincapablenot able

    意思相反

    ablecapable

core核心畫面

From the word’s history

From Middle English unable; un- + able.

源自中古英文 unable，就是 un-「不」加上 able。

Wiktionary

Picture reaching out to do something and finding you lack what it takes — the strength, the skill, the time, or the chance — so it simply cannot be done. Unable names exactly that 'can't reach it' state.

可以想成你伸手要做某件事，卻發現少了必要的東西——力氣、技術、時間或機會——所以就是做不到。unable 描述的正是這種『搆不著、辦不成』的狀態。

同家族的字

意思相近

powerlessincapablenot able

意思相反

ablecapable

原始詞典資料3 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

unableadj詞源 1/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/

  • 1

    Not able; lacking a certain ability.

    • Are you unable to mind your own business or something?
    • Fulham switched off as Giggs took a quick corner to Valencia. He played it back to Giggs, whose cross was headed in by Nani with the lurking Rooney unable to add a touch.

unableintj詞源 1/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/

  • 1

    aeronauticsaerospaceaviationIndicating that a requested course of action is not possible to carry out.

    • "November three seven kilo, climb and maintain twelve thousand." "Unable, we have pressurization problems. Maintaining nine thousand."

unableverb詞源 2/ʌnˈeɪbl̩/

  • 1

    To render unable; to disable.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。