HSK 5
难免
nánmiǎn
inevitable
Structure
Condition + 难免 + (会/要) + Negative Result / Situational description + 是难免的
How it works
The word '难免' (nánmiǎn) is an adjective or adverb used to describe something that is hard to avoid or inevitable. It is typically used to discuss negative situations, accidents, or mistakes that occur naturally under certain circumstances.
Examples
两个人在一起生活，难免会有一些矛盾。
Liǎng gè rén zài yīqǐ shēnghuó, nánmiǎn huì yǒu yīxiē máodùn.
When two people live together, it is hard to avoid having some conflicts.
年轻人经验不足，工作中难免犯错。
Niánqīngrén jīngyàn bùzú, gōngzuò zhōng nánmiǎn fàncuò.
Young people lack experience, so it is hard to avoid making mistakes at work.
第一次参加比赛，心里难免有些紧张。
Dì yī cì cānjiā bǐsài, xīnlǐ nánmiǎn yǒuxiē jǐnzhāng.
Participating in a competition for the first time, it's natural to feel a bit nervous.
Common mistakes
Students often try to use '难免' for positive inevitable events; however, it is almost exclusively used for undesirable or neutral-but-difficult situations.
Tip
Sometimes '难免' is followed by '不' (e.g., 难免不犯错), but the meaning remains the same: the event is still hard to avoid. The '不' is often redundant and doesn't change the negative implication.
More HSK 5 grammar
See 难免 in real Chinese
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