难免 (nánmiǎn) means "to be unavoidable" or "inevitable" and is most commonly placed before a verb, often an auxillary verb such as 会 or 要. It can only be used to introduce an inevitable situation that is characterized by negative features. One cannot use 难免 to talk of a positive inevitability such as "you will inevitably have a good time."
Structure
Examples
- 刚 开始 说 外语 时 难免 会 有 一些 误会。When you first start speaking a foreign language, there are inevitably going to be some misunderstandings.
- 年轻 人 难免 会 遇到 挫折，关键 是 学习 怎么样 克服。Young people are always going to face problems, but the most important thing is to learn how to overcome them.
- 第 一 次 坐 飞机 出国 难免 会 有点 兴奋 。There‘s no way not to feel excited about it the first time you go abroad by plane .
- 现在 是 高峰期，地铁 难免 会 拥挤。It's rush hour right now. There's no way to avoid the congestion in the subway.
- 这家 公司 的 实习生 难免 要 做 一些 打杂 的 事。There's no way for the interns at this firm to avoid doing odds and ends.
Using a negative in the phrase after 难免 does not change the meaning of the sentence. So, for example, 难免不拥挤 and 难免拥挤 mean the same thing.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
Category: B2 grammar points Category: Verbs