Japanese with Manga

No way you can catch with 〜っこない

Grammar Explanation: A strong denial with 〜っこない

Manga panel from 怪盗セイント・テール showing example of No way you can catch with 〜っこない.
怪盗セイント・テール » Volume 1 » Page 115

Asuka Jr. is feeling down after Saint Tail committed a theft without giving him advance notice. When Meimi tries to console him, he tells her she doesn’t understand Saint Tail.

芽美(めいみ) (thinking):
「わかるもん……　セイント・テールはあたしだもん！！」
“I do understand... Because I'm Saint Tail!!”
Literal: “I understand... because Saint Tail is me!!”
芽美(めいみ):
「あんたなんか一生(いっしょう)かかったってセイント・テールをつかまえられっこないっ」
“Someone like you can take a lifetime and there's no way you can catch Saint Tail!”
Literal: “Even if someone like you spent your whole life, there is no way you could catch Saint Tail!”

Key Points

1つかまえられっこない is a strong impossibility
  • つかまえられる is the potential form, meaning can catch.
  • Adding 〜っこない makes it “there is no way you can catch”, stronger than a plain negative.
2一生かかったって raises the stakes
  • 〜たって means even if in casual speech.
  • Meimi says that even if Asuka Jr. spent his whole life on it, catching Saint Tail would still be impossible.
3あんたなんか is dismissive
  • あんた is a rough casual you, and なんか belittles the person it marks.

Vocabulary

(I)

あたし means “I” or “me”. It is a casual, feminine form of 私(わたし).

(Lifetime)

一生(いっしょう) means a lifetime or one’s whole life.

See Also

怪盗セイント・テール © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.