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Lesson 24 · polite nonpast negatives

The polite negative: ません

Once you know the form, its polite negative is a small change.

Coco-senseiCoco-sensei

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Replace ます with ません, keeping everything before it: 飲のみます → 飲のみません, 食たべます → 食たべません, 行いきます → 行いきません.

This change works across all three verb groups. Even 来きます becomes 来きません. The different group rules matter when making the ます form; once you have that form, the negative ending is the same.

肉にく を 食たべません is a polite way to say “I don’t eat meat.” Depending on context, a ません sentence can describe a habit or a future action you will not do. There is no separate word corresponding to English “don’t.”

Examples

  • I don’t eat meat.

  • Ken isn’t coming.

  • I don’t watch TV.