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Formation: V-て form + たまらない; い-adj (〜くて) + たまらない; na-adj + で + たまらない; V-たい → 〜たくてたまらない

〜てたまらない expresses a feeling, sensation or desire so intense it is hard to bear. It is very natural with physical sensations (痛い, 暑い, かゆい), strong emotions (心配, うれしい) and desires (〜たくてたまらない, 'dying to'). It is used in both speech and writing and sounds more vivid and urgent than 〜てならない. Unlike 〜てならない, it sounds odd with spontaneous verbs of thinking such as 思える or 気がする, so 気がしてならない is the natural choice there. 〜てしょうがない is close in meaning but more casual, often with a hint of helplessness. It normally describes the speaker's own state; for others, add ようだ or らしい.

Variants: 〜てたまりません、〜てたまらなかった

Examples

• 歯が痛くてたまらない。
  My tooth hurts so much I can't bear it.
• 留学中は家族に会いたくてたまらなかった。
  While I was studying abroad, I was dying to see my family.
• 子どもたちは夏休みが待ち遠しくてたまらないようだ。
  The children seem to be counting the days until summer vacation.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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