plain negative verb form

The nai form is the casual equivalent of masen. Godan verbs change the final u sound to a and add nai (iku to ikanai); ichidan verbs drop ru and add nai (taberu to tabenai). Suru becomes shinai, kuru becomes konai, and aru becomes simply nai.

Examples

• 時間じかんがないから、行いかない。

  Jikan ga nai kara, ikanai.

  I'm not going because I don't have time.

• 朝あさご飯はんを食たべない日ひもあります。

  Asagohan o tabenai hi mo arimasu.

  There are days when I don't eat breakfast.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 時間 time
• 行く to go
• 朝ご飯 breakfast
• 食べる to eat
• 日 sun, day
• ある to exist (inanimate); to have

Related patterns · Verb forms

• 〜ます polite non-past verb form
• 〜ません polite negative (do not / will not)
• 〜ました / 〜ませんでした polite past (did / did not)
• 〜た plain past verb form
• 辞書形 dictionary (plain non-past) form and its uses
• 〜たことがあります have done (something) before (experience)