指をくわえる · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 指をくわえる | 指をくわえない |
| Polite | 指をくわえます | 指をくわえません |
| Past polite | 指をくわえました | 指をくわえませんでした |
| Past | 指をくわえた | 指をくわえなかった |
| Te-form | 指をくわえて | 指をくわえないで |
| Desire | 指をくわえたい | 指をくわえたくない |
| Potential | 指をくわえられるalso 指をくわえれる | 指をくわえられないalso 指をくわえれない |
| Passive | 指をくわえられる | 指をくわえられない |
| Causative | 指をくわえさせる | 指をくわえさせない |
| Causative passive | 指をくわえさせられる | 指をくわえさせられない |
| Volitional | 指をくわえよう | |
| Polite volitional | 指をくわえましょう | |
| Imperative | 指をくわえろ | 指をくわえるな |
| Conditional | 指をくわえれば | 指をくわえなければ |
| Tara conditional | 指をくわえたら | 指をくわえなかったら |
look on enviously without doing anything; stand by and watch with envy
Idiomatic expression describing someone who wants something but can only watch helplessly or enviously, often with the pattern 〜て見る. The literal meaning is 'to hold a finger in one's mouth', evoking the image of a child watching others eat.
I could only stand by and watch enviously as others were having fun.
He had no choice but to look on enviously as others got promoted.