hard to; difficult to

がたい attaches to a verb's masu-stem to mean that something is difficult to do, usually for emotional or judgmental reasons (hard to believe, hard to forgive). It is more formal and abstract than にくい, which is about physical difficulty.

Examples

• 彼かれの話はなしは信しんじがたい。

  Kare no hanashi wa shinjigatai.

  His story is hard to believe.

• それは忘わすれがたい思おもい出でだ。

  Sore wa wasuregatai omoide da.

  That's an unforgettable memory.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 彼 he, him
• それ that
• 忘れる to forget

Related patterns · Ability and inevitability

• 〜得る can; be possible to
• 〜かねる cannot; be unable to bring oneself to
• 〜かねない might (something bad); be capable of
• 〜ざるを得ない have no choice but to; cannot help but
• 〜ようがない there's no way to; cannot possibly