ないと
Meanings
- must; have to (informal)
- it's necessary to do something; if you don't, there will be trouble
- bad things happen if you don’t do something; you must do it
About this pattern
Explanation
ないと is a casual contraction used after the negative form of a verb to express obligation or a necessary action. It can mean "you must do ~" (as in ないといけない / なければならない) or convey a consequence if you don’t do it (e.g., you’ll be in trouble). It’s common in everyday speech among friends and family and is less suitable for formal situations. The verb stays in its ない form before と (e.g., 行かないと, 宿題を終わらないと). It can also appear after adjectives in the same sense (e.g., 忙しくないと間に合わない is less common; more typical usage is with verb forms). Generally used to state a necessary action or warn of consequences if not done.
Learn in context
Example sentences
If I don’t finish my homework, I’ll get scolded by the teacher.
I have to turn in the report by tomorrow.
It would be a problem if I don’t have money.
If I don’t go to bed soon, tomorrow will be rough.
Keep studying
More N4 patterns
Or something; Any... (with question words); No matter (who)
View detailseasy to (do); likely to (happen); easy to be affected by
View detailsDifficult to; Hard to; Not easy to do something
View detailsGradually; Little by little; Step by step
View detailsmore and more; rapidly; increasing quickly; progressively
View detailsWe/They/You all (plural forms); These/Those (plural demonstratives); Plural suffix for certain pronouns and demonstratives
View details