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I've just learnt that the expression 「もう待てないよ！」 has similar meaning in English
as "I can't wait any longer", but how to interpret 「待てない」 from a grammar
point?

Shouldn't the "te-form" of 「待つ」 be 「待って」like in 「待っててね！」?

And why 「待ってない」 doesn't mean something like "I'm not waiting (right now)",
since it's the "nai-form" of 「待ってる」.

Here're some websites I've referred to:

<https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/11115/>

<https://ameblo.jp/aki-aki-tokachan/entry-11925700002.html>
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2021-04-03T13:49:47.820
85928
2021-04-08T04:41:35.730
2021-04-08T04:41:35.730
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question
grammar meaning translation expressions conjugations
Why does 「もう待てないよ！」 mean "I can't wait any longer"?
待っていない not waiting  
待てない not be able to wait
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2021-04-03T14:00:19.520
85929
2021-04-03T14:00:19.520
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answer
待って is indeed the te-form, but 待て is not. It is the potential form. Remember
that the final う sound becomes an え sound for the potential form of godan
verbs? I guess this verb is a little more confusing than usual because つ
becomes て (there not being a tse sound).

So the positive potential form of the verb is now 待てる. This conjugates like a
normal ichidan verb so the negative form becomes 待てない as seen in your example.
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2021-04-03T14:07:14.453
85930
2021-04-03T14:07:14.453
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answer