1
be unable to do sth
He is unable to attend the meeting.
他无法参加会议。
不能；无法
unablest — superlative of unable
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
不能；无法
not able; lacking a certain ability
He is unable to attend the meeting.
他无法参加会议。
不能；缺乏某种能力。
Not able; lacking a certain ability.
She was unable to attend the meeting because of a family emergency.
她因家庭紧急情况无法参加会议。
After the accident, he was unable to walk without pain.
事故后，他无法在没有疼痛的情况下行走。
The old computer is unable to run the latest software.
这台旧电脑无法运行最新的软件。
He is unable to attend the meeting.
他无法参加会议。
注意：'because of'后接名词或名词短语。
She was unable to sleep because of the noise.
她因为噪音而无法入睡。
Not this
I unable to attend the meeting.
Use this
I am unable to attend the meeting.
在英语中，'unable'是形容词，不能单独作谓语，必须与系动词be连用。中文常说'我不能'，但英语需要'be unable'结构。
Not this
She was unable to finished the work.
Use this
She was unable to finish the work.
'unable'后接不定式时，动词必须用原形，不能用过去式。英语中'to'后接动词原形，这是固定语法规则。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
无法做某事
She was unable to finish her homework on time.
她无法按时完成家庭作业。
不能移动
The injured bird was unable to move.
那只受伤的鸟不能动弹。
说不出话
He was so shocked that he was unable to speak.
他震惊得说不出话来。
无法入睡
I was unable to sleep because of the noise.
因为噪音我无法入睡。
不能参加
Due to illness, he was unable to attend the meeting.
由于生病，他无法参加会议。
无法访问
Users are unable to access the website due to maintenance.
由于维护，用户无法访问该网站。
无法理解，摸不着头脑
I was unable to make heads or tails of the instructions.
我无法理解这些说明，完全摸不着头脑。
只见树木不见森林，看问题太片面
He's so focused on details that he's unable to see the forest for the trees.
他太关注细节了，以至于只见树木不见森林。
插不上嘴
She talked so much that I was unable to get a word in edgewise.
她说个不停，我根本插不上嘴。
Use unablest naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
将"unable"拆为"un"（不）和"able"（能），联想"不能"即可记住。
通常为中性，常与“to”连用，表示缺乏能力或条件做某事，广泛用于正式或非正式语境。
不能与否定词连用
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.