Grammar › N2 · 07 Verb-form patterns

〜かねない: may well; could end up

N2 · 07 Verb-form patterns

Warns that something bad could happen.

Verb ます-stem + かねない. Always for a bad result: 事故になりかねない. The speaker thinks the risk is real. Compare 〜かもしれない, which is a general possibility; 〜かねない is a warning.

Examples

そんな運転うんてんをしたら、事故じこを起おこしかねないよ。

If you drive like that, you could well cause an accident.

彼かれならそういうことを言いいかねない。

He is the type who might well say something like that.

Study 〜かねない in the course →