connective N4 essential casualpolitewritten
なくて — not ~ and / because not ~
なくて
Builds on ない形
Meaning
- isn't ~ and ... / not ~, so ... — the negative te-form, linking a clause or giving a cause
Key sentence
お金がなくて、何も買えなかった。
I had no money, so I couldn't buy anything.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (ない-form) | 〜ない → 〜なくて | 食べない → 食べなくて |
| i-adjective (negative) | 〜くない → 〜くなくて | 高くない → 高くなくて |
| Noun / na-adjective (negative) | 〜じゃない → 〜じゃなくて | 学生じゃない → 学生じゃなくて |
Examples
この問題は難しくなくて、すぐ解けた。
This problem wasn't hard, so I solved it right away.
彼は学生じゃなくて、先生です。
He isn't a student — he's a teacher.
返事が来なくて心配した。
No reply came, so I got worried.
When you can't use it
- To say 'do Y without doing X' (manner), use ないで, not なくて: 朝ごはんを食べないで出かけた (left without eating breakfast). なくて is for a state or a cause, not the manner of an action.
Easily confused with
ないで Both are negative connectives, but なくて gives a reason or links a state ('isn't ~, so ...'), while ないで means 'without doing ~' and modifies how the next action is done. 〜くて くて is the positive te-form of an i-adjective (高くて). なくて is the negative te-form, used for verbs, adjectives, and nouns alike.
See なくて in real sentences
Jengo shows なくて the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.