なかなか〜ない

なかなか + negative means "just won't…, still hasn't no matter how long you wait or how hard you try": バスがなかなか来ません (the bus just won't come), なかなか覚えられません (I just can't memorize it). This pattern carries the speaker's impatience: something that should have happened by now still hasn't.

なかなか pairs especially often with the negative potential form: なかなか眠れません (I just can't fall asleep), なかなか上手になりません (I just don't get any better).

Note that なかなか also has an AFFIRMATIVE use with adjectives, meaning "quite, considerably": この問題はなかなか難しい (this problem is quite hard), なかなかいいですね (that's pretty good). Look at whether what follows is affirmative or negative to tell the two meanings apart.

Examples

• バスがなかなか来(き)ません。

  The bus just won't come.

• 日本語(にほんご)の発音(はつおん)がなかなか上手(じょうず)になりません。

  My Japanese pronunciation just isn't improving.

• この問題(もんだい)はなかなか難(むずか)しいですね。

  This problem is quite hard, isn't it?

Related patterns

• 可能形