Page 274 - Easy Japanese - Learn to Speak Japanese Quickly! (TUTTLE)

GRAMMAR NOTE Expressing Negative Permission “Do Not

Have To”

We use the negative /-nakute mo/ in negative permission patterns, i.e., “It’s okay
NOT to do X” or “You do not have to do X”.
Matanakute mo i’i desu yo. You don’t have to wait.

Mō ganbaranakute mo i’i
desu.
You don’t have to try so hard anymore (that is, it’s okay not to work so hard).

Hon’yaku-shinakute mo i’i Is it okay if I don’t translate it?
desu ka.

Combine more than one permission pattern together to indicate options.

Kite mo konakute mo i’i desu. It’s okay whether you come or
not.
Eigo de mo, Nihon-go de mo

i’i.
It doesn’t matter if it’s (in) English or Japanese.
Mēru-site mo denwa-shite mo It’s okay to email or call.

i’i yo.

Expressing Necessities “must”

In Dialogue 3, we discussed the affirmative /-te wa/ in prohibition patterns. Now
we consider the negative /-nakute wa/ in necessity patterns. Necessity means
“you must do X” or “it’s no good if you do NOT do X”. The sound changes of
/te wa/to /cha/ and /de wa/ to /ja/ occur with this pattern as well. In addition to

ikenai, other negative expressions can follow this pattern.
Benkyō-shinakute wa You must study.
ikemasen.

Sūtsu kinakucha mazui yo. It’s not good if you do not wear
a suit.
Shigoto ni ikanakute wa dame I must go to work, so…

na n desu…

We have seen all the four patterns involving the -te form—permissions,
prohibitions, negative permissions, and necessities. Now let’s see how they