なかなか〜ない
JLPT N4:not easily / taking time
With a negative verb, なかなか says that an expected event is slow to happen or difficult to achieve.
How to form it
- Put なかなか before a negative verb: なかなか来ない or なかなか来ません.
- Use a negative past form for an event that took a long time or was difficult: なかなかやまなかった.
Examples
バスがなかなか来ません。
The bus is taking a long time to come.
この瓶のふたがなかなか開かない。
The lid on this bottle won't open easily.
雨がなかなかやまなかった。
The rain took a long time to stop.
Notes
- The speaker usually expects or wants the event to happen. The expression does not by itself say the event will never happen.
- Affirmative なかなか has a different use: なかなかおいしい means "quite tasty", often with a favorable or impressed tone. It is not the difficulty/delay construction taught here. Even a negative adjective can be evaluative: なかなか悪くない means "quite good/not bad", not a delayed event.
Common mistakes
- Using an affirmative verb when you mean an event is slow or difficult to happen.
- Treating なかなか〜ない as simply "never".
Similar meaning
- あまり〜ないnot very, not much
あまり〜ない describes a low degree or frequency, rather than difficulty or delay.
- 全然〜ないnot at all
全然〜ない means "not at all", rather than "not easily".