なかなか~ない
Meanings
- Not really
- Hardly
- Not easily or readily
- By no means
- Far from
About this pattern
Explanation
なかなか~ない is used when something is difficult to achieve or takes longer than expected. It emphasizes the speaker’s sense of deficiency or frustration about progress, despite effort or time. It’s common in everyday conversation and written contexts to describe persistent difficulty or delay. Usage tips: - Attach to verbs in the ない form to express that something is hard to do or not happening soon: なかなか宿題が終わらない。 (It’s hard to finish the homework.) - It often implies that the situation is not improving as hoped, even after trying or waiting: なかなか成果が出ない。 (There’s little progress/not much result despite efforts.) Note: It sounds stronger than a simple “not easy” and often carries a nuance of patience or mild complaint about the situation.
Learn in context
Example sentences
Japanese is difficult, and I’m not able to speak it fluently yet.
He’s making an effort, but there isn’t much result yet.
This dish is tricky, and I can’t make it well yet.
She’s busy, so I can’t meet her very often.
Keep studying
More N3 patterns
It would be good if you do X; You should do X; It's enough to do X
View detailsIt would be nice if ...; It would be good if ...; Should ...; I hope ...
View detailsduring; while; throughout; in the process of
View detailswhile; during; between; in the period of
View detailsDuring the period of / while; Before something changes or happens; Within the time when ... happens
View detailsbefore it happens; before doing something becomes true; before it ends/advances; before it’s no longer possible; while still in the state of not ...
View details