No matter how safe a system is, you can't definitively say errors won't happen. Accidents are things that can possibly occur.
📖 Explanation & Nuance
The phrase 「～得る」(うる/える) means "can happen" or "is possible to occur." It expresses the potential for an event to take place, even if it's undesirable. You attach it to the masu-stem of a verb (連用形). 「うる」 is common for most verbs, while 「える」 is for a few specific ones. It's often used in formal or objective statements to acknowledge possibilities. Example: どんなに安全なシステムでも、絶対にエラーが起きないとは言い切れない。事故は起こり**得る**ものだ。
ある事態が起こる可能性があることを表します。動詞のマス形に「得る（うる/える）」をつけます。客観的な状況説明で使われます。
📝 Example Sentence
どんなに安全なシステムでも、絶対にエラーが起きないとは言い切れない。事故は起こり「うる」ものだ。
No matter how safe a system is, you can't definitively say errors won't happen. Accidents are things that can possibly occur.
Practice Quiz
Verify your grammar strength for "〜うる / 〜える"
Explanation (EN): The phrase 「～得る」(うる/える) means \"can happen\" or \"is possible to occur.\" It expresses the potential for an event to take place, even if it's undesirable. You attach it to the masu-stem of a verb (連用形). 「うる」 is common for most verbs, while 「える」 is for a few specific ones. It's often used in formal or objective statements to acknowledge possibilities. Example: どんなに安全なシステムでも、絶対にエラーが起きないとは言い切れない。事故は起こり**得る**ものだ。\n\nCommon Mistakes:\n❌ かねる: '起こりかねる' means 'hesitates to happen' or 'cannot politely happen'. Accidents don't have polite hesitations! '起こりうる' correctly states the possibility of existence.\n❌ っこない: This means 'Definitely won't happen'. We just said 'You can't say it won't happen', so '起こりっこない' contradicts the rule!\n❌ はずだ: '起こるはずだ' means 'They are definitely meant to happen!' Systems aren't designed to fail on purpose!
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