JLPT N2: ～てならない (can't help but...; so...)

You can end a sentence with ～てならない when you want to express that some kind of feeling or emotion cannot be suppressed.

For example:

昨日みたドラマの続きが気になってならない。
きのう　みた　ドラマ　の　つづき　が　きになって　ならない。
I’m dying to find out what happens in the show I watched yesterday.
Literally: “yesterday + saw + (TV) drama + の + continuation + が + is on my mind (and) + ならない.”

Or you could say:

来月のロシア旅行が、待ち遠しくてならない。
らいげつ　の　ロシア　りょこう　が、　まちどおしくて　ならない。
I can’t wait for my trip to Russia next month.
Literally: “next month + の + Russia + trip + が, + anxiously awaited (and) + ならない.”

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Looks like a pretty useful grammar point, yeah?

Alas, no.

～てならない has a pretty stiff-sounding ring to it. You might see it in written language or hear it on the news or something, but I would avoid using it in your own day-to-day speech.

When you want to express that some kind of emotion is too strong to contain, you'd be better off using this (somewhat similar) grammatical construction: [NDL #548] - JLPT N3: ～てしかたがない.

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Rules for Using ～てならない

You can put ～てならない (or ～てなりません) after the て-form of verbs, i-adjectives, and na-adjectives.

Note that the "て-form of na-adjectives" just means putting で after them. So:

V て ＋ ならない
i-adjective て ＋ ならない
na-adjective で ＋ ならない

All that's left for us to do now is to power through some example sentences, yeah?

Go time...

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戦場で生活している罪のない子供たちのことを考えると、かわいそうでなりません。
せんじょう　で　せいかつ　している　つみ　の　ない　こどもたち　の　こと　を　かんがえる　と、　かわいそう　で　なりません。
I can’t bear the thought of those poor, innocent children living in a war zone.
Literally: “battleground / war zone + で + living + are doing + innocent / guiltless (=crime/wrongdoing + の + don’t have) + children + の + こと + を + think + と, + poor / pitiful + で + なりません.”

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この場所に来ると、亡くなった祖母のことが思い出されてなりません。
この　ばしょ　に　くる　と、　なくなった　そぼ　の　こと　が　おもいだされて　なりません。
When I come here, I can’t help but think of my grandmother who passed away.
Literally: “this + place + に + come + と, + died / passed away + grandmother + の + こと + が + am reminded of (and) + なりません.”

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彼女は日本の文化にうまく馴染めるのか、不安でならないようだ。
かのじょ　は　にほん　の　ぶんか　に　うまく　なじめる　の　か、　ふあん　で　ならない　ようだ。
She seems to be really worried about whether she’ll be able to adjust to Japanese culture.
Literally: “she + は + Japan + の + culture + に + skilfully + can become accustomed to + の + か, + uneasy / anxious + で + ならない + it seems.”

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Finished!

Well... that is, if you actually read all of those example sentences.

You did read them, didn't you? ^^