Difference between なくてはならない and なければならない?

[ic9]

They are both described as “must do/ have to do” but actually the shorter version is described as the long form?

[mrnoone]

@ic9
Hey!

This is a very good question!

Actually, in this case, we refer to both, なければ and なくては parts as long (opposed to their “short” contractions “なきゃ” and “なくちゃ”. This is a bit confusing since the polite form is also very often called the “long-form”. I will try to improve the nuance

When it comes to the actual difference between the two, this might help:

なければいけない - Grammar Discussion

Hey and welcome on the community forums Long story short: なければいけない (in casual なきゃいけない） and なくてはいけない (in casual なくちゃいけない) are completely interchangeable More details: There are few ways to say must, have to in Japanesethe major ones are: なければいけない (example: いく→行かなければいけない） contraction: なきゃいけない (行かなきゃいけない） Sometimes you can see or hear なけりゃ、which is another contraction. なくてはいけない (example: いく→行かなくてはいけない） contraction: なくちゃいけない (いくー＞行かなくちゃいけない） Sometimes you can see …

なくてはならない and なければならない are like analogous to なくてはいけない and なければならない.

I hope it helps,
Cheers!

[ic9]

That helps. Thanks!