っこない
There is no chance of, There is no way of, Impossible
Structure
Explanation
The grammar pattern っこない is made by joining the suffix っこ and the い-Adjective ない. When added to a verb's conjunctive form (or ます-stem), it functions as a new い-Adjective that emphatically states that something (the verb's action) is impossible.
In English, っこない is frequently translated as 'there's no way that (A) will happen' or 'it's absolutely impossible to (A)'.
- あんなに難しい試験、全然勉強してないから受かりっこないよ。An exam that difficult? I haven't studied at all, so there's no way I'll pass.
- 彼は頑固だから、そんな話をしても信じっこないさ。He's so stubborn, there's no way he'll believe a story like that.
- こんなに大きなピザ、一人じゃ食べられっこないよ。There's absolutely no way I can eat a pizza this big all by myself.
Caution
Even though it's quite rare in modern Japanese, っこ is derived from the kanji 子. Because of this, you may occasionally see this grammar point written using its kanji form.
- あの人の約束なんて、守れっ子ないに決まってるよ。There's no way he can keep a promise like that. It's a given.
- 相手はプロなんだから、勝てっ子ないよ。My opponent is a pro, so there's no chance I can win.
Examples
３歳の子にこんな難しいパズルはできっこないよ。
There's no way a three-year-old can solve such a difficult puzzle.
今から走ったって、終電には間に合いっこない。
Even if we run from now, there's no way we'll make the last train.
あんなに高いレストラン、僕の給料じゃ行けっこないよ。
With my salary, I could never go to such an expensive restaurant.
先生：「徹夜で勉強したぐらいで、N1に合格できっこない。」
Teacher: 'Just by studying all night, there's no chance you can pass the N1 exam.'
一度も見たことがない人を、この人混みの中で見つけられっこない。
It's impossible to find someone you've never seen before in this crowd.
彼が嘘をついているなんて、ありえっこないと思っていたのに…。
I thought it was impossible that he was lying, but...
Ａ：「このケーキ、すごい量だね！」
Ｂ：「うん、一人じゃ食べられっこないよ。」
A: 'This cake is a huge portion!'
B: 'Yeah, there is no way I can eat this by myself.'
どんなに謝られても、あんなひどいことをした彼を許せっこない。
No matter how many times he apologizes, after what he did, there's no way I can forgive him.
Ａ：「そのジャケット、昨日セールで買ったんだ。」
Ｂ：「えっ、そんなに安く？信じられっこない！」
A: 'I bought this jacket at a sale yesterday.'
B: 'What, for that cheap? That's impossible to believe!'
Ａ：「この山、今日中に登れるかな？」
Ｂ：「こんな険しい道じゃ、一日で登りきれっこないよ。」
A: 'Do you think we can climb this mountain today?'
B: 'With a path this steep, there's absolutely no way we can finish climbing it in one day.'
専門家でもないのに、壊れたパソコンを自分で直せっこありません。
Since I'm not an expert, there's no way I can fix this broken computer myself.
子供の頃、空を飛ぶなんてできっこないと分かっていても、何度も挑戦したものだ。
As a child, even though I knew it was impossible to fly, I still tried to do it over and over again.