ことができよう

could ...?

→ こと

phrase Rare #36,893

could ...? A literary or formal way to express ability, often used in rhetorical questions meaning “how could ...?” In statements, it can mean “could be said.”

JA: そんなことを忘れることができようか。

EN: How could anyone forget such a thing?

人は交わる仲間によって知られるということができよう。

One may say that a person is known by the company they keep.

彼の小説を読んだ人で、誰がそれを忘れることができようか。

Who could forget his novel after reading it?

どうしてこの仕事を辞めることができよう。

How could I possibly quit this job?

核戦争の後で誰が生き残ることができようか。

Who could survive after a nuclear war?