ても差し支えない|てもさしつかえない
- 1It is acceptable to do a certain action; formal permission.Ex. 1
- 2A certain state or condition is acceptable and causes no problem.Ex. 2
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A formal expression found in business communication, announcements, official notices, and polite requests, such as ～ても差し支えありませんか. It is more formal than てもいい and てもかまわない, and is suited to speaking with customers, superiors, or in writing. It is common when a host or organizer tells guests that something is acceptable.
Learners sometimes use this pattern in casual conversation with friends, where てもいい sounds far more natural.
Note that nouns and な-adjectives take でも, not ても, before 差し支えない (カジュアルでも差し支えない).
Do not attach 差し支えない directly to the dictionary form of a verb; it requires the て-form plus も.
- てもかまわない / てもかまいませんN3「てもかまわない」 has essentially the same meaning and attachment pattern as this pattern, and can also use 「なくても」 to express 'no need to'; when expressing permission, the two are mostly interchangeable. However, it is neutral in register and less formal, so in business or written contexts this pattern is preferable.
- てもいいN5「てもいい」 has essentially the same meaning and attachment pattern, and likewise expresses permission or 'it's fine to...'. It is neutral in register and the most common phrasing in daily life; replacing 「ても差し支えない」 with it in formal settings would sound too casual.
- には及ばないN1「には及ばない」 attaches to the dictionary form of verbs or to nouns, and means 'no need to do'; it can also mean 'not comparable to'. 「ても差し支えない」 attaches to the て-form and means 'it's fine to do'. One says there is no need to do something, the other says it is permissible to do it, so they cannot be interchanged.
- までもないN1「までもない」 attaches to the dictionary form of verbs and means 'no need to go so far as to do', judging the action to be unnecessary. 「ても差し支えない」 attaches to the て-form and other forms, expressing permission in the sense of 'it's fine even if one does', with a more formal tone. The two cannot be interchanged.
- にあたらないN1「にあたらない」 attaches only to reactions such as surprise, worry, or praise, and means 'not worth...', carrying a judgmental nuance. 「ても差し支えない」 expresses permission, meaning it is fine to do something or to be in a certain state. The two cannot be interchanged.
Like てもいい and てもかまわない, ても差し支えない grants permission, but it is the most formal of the three. In contrast, には及ばない, までもない, and にあたらない do not grant permission: the first two say an action is unnecessary, and にあたらない says a reaction is unwarranted (e.g., 驚くにはあたらない).
