なければいけない - Grammar Discussion

Grammar Points
#1

must do
have to do

Structure

  • Verb[ない] + ければ・いけない

[long form・usually expresses duty or necessity due to the situation or circumstances]
[いけない = neutral・ならない = formal/written]

View on Bunpro

#2

Hi All,

On my Genki edition they use なくちゃいけません / なくちゃいけない can someone explain to me the difference? are these structures equivalent?

Cheers!

1 Like
#3

Hey and welcome on the community forums :partying_face:

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 :+1:

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 or hear なくっちゃ・なくちゃあ, which are another contractions so don’t be surprised.

  • ないといけない (example: いく→行かないといけない)

All of those are equivalent, though contractions are more casual than full versions, and ます version is the most polite (行かなければいけません・行かなくてはいけません・行かないといけません）. By the way, in casual conversations the いけない part can be omitted, so all below are also correct:

  • 行かないと
    行かなきゃ
    行かなくちゃ

Advanced (but interesting information):
Sometimes ならない is used instead of いけない、which implies that the action must be taken due to some rules, common belief and things like that (like “have to”). While いけない implies that the action must be taken in response to some circumstances (like “must”), etc. (Though a lot of Japanese do not really care about it)
Also, in casual conversations, instead of いけない、ならない or dropping them, だめ can be used.
いかなきゃだめ
いかなくちゃだめ
いかないとダメ

I hope it makes things a bit more clear,
Cheers! :+1:

5 Likes
Difference between なくてはならない and なければならない?
#4

does anyone know a harder way to say something must be done than the nakerebaikenai? please tell me there are harder ways to say that:neutral_face:

1 Like
#5

According to the Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, なければいけない is ungrammatical. So is Bunpro wrong here or is the dictionary wrong?

#6

The edition of the dictionary that I have only says that いけない doesn’t work with 〜ねば.

1 Like
#7

I realize that I misread. I got ねば mixed up with なければ.

1 Like
#8

So…you guys are really telling me there are at least 4 ways to say this exact same thing and they are all spelled almost exactly the same?
Me and whoever invented japanese gonna need to have a conversation that involves me swinging a bat across it’s face

6 Likes
#9

What is happening to 書く in this sentence for the grammar なければいけない.

来週までにカタカナとひらがなを書けるようにしなければいけない。(する)

Can someone break the 書く conjugation down and explain why it’s used with the に particle.

#10

It’s a combination of ようにする and なければいけない.
書けるようにする try to be able to write
する⇒しない⇒しなければいけない have to
書けるようにしなければいけない have to try to be able to write (katakana and hiragana by next week)

#11

Thank you for clearing that up!

1 Like
#12

If it’s an interchangeable expression with なくてはいけない is there a trick to knowing which the review is asking for?

Or am I missing something?

#13

I’m not sure i perfectly understand the following example :

子供が色々なことをやってみるから、ずっと見ていなければいけない。
Children will try all sorts of things, so you must always keep watch.

Why is 見る first turned in the ている form here, which of the following grammar point is it ?

I still have an hard time to grasp the ている form especially paired with an other grammar point.

#14

Hi!

It would be the first one, as you must keep watch, so you have to watch and keep on watching (existing in a constant state of ‘doing’ the watching) so that the kids don’t burn down the house.

HTH!

2 Likes
#15

I am also struggling with this. Does anyone know? All I get as a hint is “must do…” in red. If なければいけない and なくてはいけない are “completely interchangeable”, why doesn’t bunpro grade me correct when I stick with one form for my reviews? Honestly getting annoyed.

#16

I agree with this, whenever I’m reviewing this grammar, its almost entirely random on whether I choose the conjugation Bunpro is looking for. Sometimes it tells me I need to be less polite, so I change it to いけない and then it says a different conjugation so I change it to なくては and then it turns out it actually wanted なくてはならない, and sometimes it will just flat-out mark me wrong.

I have come to the conclusion that while いけない and ならない do have differences that, should I make a mistake with, I should take the incorrect mark, but if the mistake comes from the なくては・なければ difference, I undo my answer until I fit the “requirement”. Very frustrating at times tbh.