Learn Japanese - The Complete Video Series (presented by becauseofdreams) - 「Learn Japanese」 Negative-ない-Form (ADJECTIVE/NOUN/VERB) + こと(は/も)ない as “it’s not that not X”

「Learn Japanese」 Negative-ない-Form (ADJECTIVE/NOUN/VERB) + こと(は/も)ない as “it’s not that not X” (softened affirmation) The grammar pattern Negative-ない-Form (ADJECTIVE/NOUN/VERB) + こと(は/も)ない is used with all three of the main types of words (ADJECTIVE, NOUN, VERB) to invoke a double negative effect that softens one’s affirmation of something, while having a final translation that somewhat differs depending on which of the three types of words is being used. When this construction is used with VERB words, natural translations include “can VERB,” “not impossible to VERB,” “it’s not that [subject] doesn’t VERB,” etc. Of these, it should be apparent that “it’s not that [subject] doesn’t VERB,” is the closest to the literal translation, due to the inclusion of the double-negatives in the grammatical construction itself (“not,” “doesn’t”). When this construction is used with ADJECTIVE and NOUN words, the common translation is also the literal interpretation of “it’s not that not (ADJ/NOUN).” Overall, the main intention behind using this grammar pattern as opposed to simply foregoing the double negative construction and going with a single, positive statement is that it adds the nuance of softening one’s affirmation of something. For example, Xが好きじゃないこと(は/も)もない (“it’s not that I don’t like X”) is a softened version of the straightforward Xが好きだ (“I like X”). In keeping this main point in mind, one should be able to correctly interpret this grammar pattern despite the fact that it may end up with a different final translation depending on what kind of word it is used with and the context of the sentence in which it is used in. Example(s): 野菜は食べないことないが、好きじゃないんだ。 Yasai wa tabenai koto wa nai ga, suki jyanainda. (“It’s not that I don’t eat vegetables, I just don’t like them very much.”) アニメが好きじゃないこともないが、今はよく見ない。 Anime ga suki jyanai koto mo nai ga, ima wa yoku minai. (“It’s not that I don’t like anime, I just don’t currently keep up with it as much.”) 車を運転出来ないことはないが、たいてい自転車を使う。 Kuruma o unten dekinai koto wa nai ga, taitei jitensha o tsukau. (“It’s not that I can’t drive, I just tend to use my bicycle more.”) そのような苦しみを経験したことがありますから、あなたの気持ちが分からないことはありません。 Sono you na kurushimi o keiken shita koto ga arimasu kara, anata no kimochi ga wakaranai koto wa arimasen. (“I’ve gone through a similar hardship before myself, so I understand how you feel.”) ✧¸¸.•*¨*• •*¨*•.¸¸✧ Interested in learning Japanese by watching anime? Check out the Learning Japanese through Anime playlist to learn new words and grammar in Japanese through various anime series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwGjqS2iLnwWxySE9tsgCrBjWnJ0biWmw ✧¸¸.•*¨*• •*¨*•.¸¸✧ Support Learning Japanese on Patreon! Please do consider checking out our milestone goals to improve our channel and supporting the continuation of this video series by becoming a patron! https://www.patreon.com/learningjapanese Learning Japanese is on Tumblr! Follow us on Tumblr to stay up to date with the newest videos as well as gain access to additional content such as interest articles, kanji lessons, "Japanese Phrases of the Day," vocabulary lists, and more! http://learnjapanesebod.tumblr.com/ Like Learning Japanese on Facebook! http://fb.me/LearnJPBOD Get Learning Japanese video updates on Twitter! https://twitter.com/LearnJPBOD For the sub-domain dedicated to the Japanese grammar patterns covered in this video series and other aspects of learning the Japanese language and culture, visit http://learnjapanese.becauseofdreams.com This video series is presented by becauseofdreams http://becauseofdreams.com/ All media presented in this video is created and owned by becauseofdreams or is used simply as supplements to the main education content with no copyright infringement intended. ✧¸¸.•*¨*• •*¨*•.¸¸✧ *Please do leave a comment below if you notice any potential errors so that we may include a notification about it in-time for future viewers! *When leaving a comment, please do enable replies if you would like a response to your question, comment, and or concern. Edit(s):