Page 509 - Basic Japanese

10.11. Double negatives

In English, we sometimes hear two negative words in a

sentence where one would be enough, for example, ‘Nobody
never does anything’ with the same meaning as ‘Nobody

ever does anything.’ In Japanese when two negatives are
used, the meaning is always changed. Notice the

translations of the following sentences.

Kutsu o haita mama uchi e hairu hito mo nai koto wa
arimasen.
It isn’t that there aren’t also people who enter

the house with their shoes on = Some people
also enter the house with their shoes on.

Nihongo ga dekinai wake ja arimasen.

It isn’t (the case) that I can’t speak Japanese.

Kekkon shitaku nai to iu wake ja arimasen.
It’s not that I don’t want to get married.

Ashita made ni kono hon o kaesanakereba narimasen.
I have to return this book by tomorrow.

10.12. … …ni chigai nai

The noun chigai ‘discrepancy’ or ‘error’ is made from the

infinitive of the verb chigau ‘is different.’ The expression