N5

Plain Negatives

Build and read plain negative forms for verbs, nouns, and adjectives so casual Japanese feels much more readable.

Form plain negative and plain past negative verbs.Use plain negatives with nouns and adjectives.Recognize common negative patterns in dialogue and reading.

Guided study

Verb negatives

The plain negative of a verb usually ends in ない. The plain past negative usually ends in なかった. These are essential for informal conversation and reading.

今日は学校へ行かない。

I am not going to school today.

行かない is the plain non-past negative and can mean 'am not going' or 'won't go' from context.

Interactive word chips will appear once token metadata is added.

昨日はコーヒーを飲まなかった。

I did not drink coffee yesterday.

飲まなかった is the plain past negative, so the action did not happen.

Interactive word chips will appear once token metadata is added.