1

As an example

「明日、行けなくなっちゃうよ?」(talking about a date etc.)

How can you tell here whether it is 行く negative potential form or イケる negative form? As far as I can see both look like they'd make sense. イケる still works written with kanji so I don't know how to tell them apart.

5
  • It is a bit short of context, but go for a date can only be デートに行く. イケる could be several things depending on the context, and derives from 行ける, so not really necessary to distinguish (if you are not sure, using いける would look fine).
    – sundowner
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 21:31
  • my thought was that it could be either 「 it might turn out that you/we can't go to tomorrow's date」or 「tomorrow’s date has become not looking any good」as in something changed and now the situation is no good
    – Jack D
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 21:46
  • The direct quote was 「明後日私とのデート、行けなくなっちゃうよ」and it is just chat level, not formal writing.
    – Jack D
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 21:52
  • イケる is narrower than you think, I guess. デートがイケる does not mean date is good (though この料理はイケる is this dish is good). So in your case, it simply means going.
    – sundowner
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 22:22
  • To be clear, いく in デートにいく/いける can only be the literal to go, never to be good.
    – sundowner
    Commented Apr 9, 2022 at 23:37

1 Answer 1

3

Do you mean this by イケる? Then this is etymologically the potential form of 行く. Simply, something like "go-able" became a fixed phrase meaning "(will) be fine". This イケる is a derivative fixed expression that is usually used in the non-negative form. We say イケるよ ("It's gonna be fine"), but we rarely say イケないよ ("It's not gonna be fine"). For the latter sense, we normally say ダメだよ (or いかんよ, although this sounds pompous) instead.

Therefore, 行けなく in 行けなくなっちゃうよ almost certainly is the negative potential form of 行く, i.e., "not to be able to go".

明日、行けなくなっちゃうよ?
You won't be able to go tomorrow, you know?

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .