彼をおいてこの仕事を任せられる人はいない。
- There’s no one but him I can trust with this job.

彼をおいてこの仕事を任せられる人はいない。 meaning: There is no one who can be entrusted with this job besides him (or: other than him).

The sentence follows a typical Japanese SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) structure, although the subject is implied in the second half of the sentence. The sentence can be broken down as follows: ⚫︎ 彼を: Object - "him" ⚫︎ おいて: Verb - "leaving aside," or "except for" (a fixed expression). ⚫︎ この仕事を: Object - "this job" ⚫︎ 任せられる: Potential form of the verb "to entrust" ⚫︎ 人はいない: Subject - "there is no person" (implied subject, refers to the subject of entrust) The sentence order may appear complex, but it can be understood step by step.

The grammar point ～をおいて functions as a fixed expression. ⚫︎ It literally translates to "leaving aside" or "except for." ⚫︎ It is used to emphasize that something is true *only* for the person or thing mentioned before おいて. ⚫︎ Often used with a negative statement (like "いない" - "is not") to indicate the uniqueness or exclusivity of the person or thing. ⚫︎ Think of it like saying "Besides X, no one..." or "With the exception of X..." in English. ⚫︎ Example: 彼をおいて、この問題が解ける人はいない。 - "Except for him, no one can solve this problem."

The potential form of verbs is used to express ability or possibility. ⚫︎ In this sentence, 任せられる is the potential form of the verb 任せる (to entrust, to assign). ⚫︎ The potential form of a Ru-verb is created by replacing the final る with られる. ⚫︎ The potential form of a U-verb is created by replacing the final う sound with える. ⚫︎ It indicates that someone *is able to* or *can be* entrusted with the job. In this context, it implies capability. ⚫︎ Because 任せる is a Ru-verb, 任せる becomes 任せられる. ⚫︎ Example: 私はこの仕事を任せられる。 - "I can be entrusted with this job."

The particle は (wa) is a topic marker. ⚫︎ The particle は (wa) marks the topic of the sentence. The topic is what the sentence is about. ⚫︎ In this sentence, 人は (people) is the topic. The sentence is *about* the people who can be entrusted with the job. ⚫︎ The particle は (wa) often follows a noun. ⚫︎ Note that は (wa) can replace other particles, such as が (ga) when used as a subject marker. ⚫︎ Example: 私は先生です。 - "As for me, I am a teacher." (I am the topic).

The particle に (ni) is not explicitly present in the sentence, but it is implied. ⚫︎ In the verb 任せる (to entrust), a recipient is implicitly involved. ⚫︎ This recipient, the person being entrusted, *would* be marked by に. ⚫︎ For example, if we were to write the original sentence in a more direct way: "There is no one who can entrust *this job* *to him*," the に (ni) would mark the recipient. ⚫︎ Understanding the implied に helps to clarify the relationship between the object of the verb and the subject. ⚫︎ Example: 彼にこの仕事を任せた。 - "I entrusted him with this job." (彼に - *to him*)

While this sentence is in a casual/plain form, understanding the equivalent polite forms is crucial for N1 level. ⚫︎ The sentence's structure relies on polite/formal forms that a higher-level learner is expected to recognize and understand. ⚫︎ いない (is not) is the plain negative form. The polite negative form is いません (imasen). ⚫︎ 任せられる (can entrust) is the potential form. The more polite version of the present tense, is 任せられます (mase-ra-re-masu) ⚫︎ Recognizing the basic forms (plain) allows for better comprehension of the more complex, higher-level grammar. ⚫︎ Mastering transformations between plain and polite forms is essential for fluent communication and understanding more complex sentence structures. ⚫︎ Understanding these transformations is a foundational element in mastering Japanese at the N1 level.