❌ Things That Don't Exist (ありません/いません)
Learn to express absence and non-existence in Japanese. Master the negative forms ありません (for things) and いません (for living beings), and discover how to describe what's missing, empty spaces, and situations where nothing or no one is present.
🎯 Learning Objectives
Use ありません and いません correctly
Express absence at specific locations
Ask and answer negative questions
Use だれも and なにも for emphasis
Describe empty spaces and situations
Contrast positive and negative existence
🔴 From Existence to Non-Existence
Just as we learned あります and います to express what exists, we use their negative forms ありません and いません to express what doesn't exist. The same animate/inanimate rules apply!
| Positive Form | Negative Form | Meaning | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
あります | ありません | there is not/are not (inanimate objects) | ほんがありません There is no book | |
います | いません | there is not/are not (animate beings) | ねこがいません There is no cat |
💡 Easy Rule to Remember:
- • If you would use あります for the positive, use ありません for the negative
- • If you would use います for the positive, use いません for the negative
- • The animate/inanimate decision stays exactly the same!
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📖 Negative Grammar Patterns
These patterns mirror the positive existence patterns you already know, but express absence instead of presence. Master these to describe what's missing or not there!
📝 Negative Sentence Structure:
- • [Noun] は [Location] に ありません/いません。- The [noun] is not at [location]
- • [Location] に [Noun] が ありません/いません。- There is no [noun] at [location]
- • だれも いません。 - No one is there
- • なにも ありません。 - There is nothing
🚫 Complete Absence Words (なにも・だれも・どこも)
These special words emphasize complete absence or nothingness. They're stronger than simple negatives and always require negative verbs. Think of them as "absolutely nothing" or "absolutely no one"!
| Word | Meaning | Used With | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
なにも | nothing at all | ありません | なにもありません There is absolutely nothing | |
だれも | no one at all | いません | だれもいません There is absolutely no one | |
どこも | nowhere at all | ありません/いません | どこもありません It's nowhere at all | |
いつも | never (with negatives) | ありません/いません | いつもいません They are never there |
はこのなかになにもありません。
There is absolutely nothing in the box.
きょうなにもたべません。
I won't eat anything today.
きょうしつにだれもいません。
There is absolutely no one in the classroom.
だれもきません。
No one will come at all.
ペンはどこもありません。
The pen is nowhere to be found.
どこもいきません。
I won't go anywhere at all.
せんせいはいつもいません。
The teacher is never there.
ここにはいつもなにもありません。
There is never anything here.
🔥 Power of Emphasis:
Without Emphasis:
- • ありません - there isn't
- • いません - they aren't there
- • Simple statement of absence
With Emphasis:
- • なにもありません - absolutely nothing!
- • だれもいません - no one at all!
- • Strong emphasis on complete absence
💡 Grammar Pattern:
Formula: [Question Word + も] + [Negative Verb] = Complete Absence
- • なに (what) + も → なにも (nothing at all)
- • だれ (who) + も → だれも (no one at all)
- • どこ (where) + も → どこも (nowhere at all)
- • いつ (when) + も → いつも (never, with negatives)
❌ Practical Negative Examples
Here are real-world examples of using negative existence. Notice how each situation describes something or someone that is absent or missing from where they might be expected!
Object absence at specific location
つくえのうえにほんがありません。
There is no book on top of the desk.
People absence at location
こうえんにこどもがいません。
There are no children in the park.
Specific person not at expected location
きょうしつにせんせいがいません。
The teacher is not in the classroom.
Empty container/space
れいぞうこにたべものがありません。
There is no food in the refrigerator.
Complete absence of people
いえにだれもいません。
There is no one at home.
Completely empty space
かばんのなかになにもありません。
There is nothing inside the bag.
🎯 Usage Tips:
- • Use negatives when something expected is missing
- • Great for describing empty spaces or absent people
- • Useful when shopping and items are out of stock
- • Perfect for explaining why someone isn't available
🏠 Common Absence Situations
These everyday situations show when and how to use negative existence. Each represents a common context where you'll need to express that something or someone is not there!
へやになにもありません。
There is nothing in the room.
Context: Moving out, empty space
いえにだれもいません。
No one is at home.
Context: Everyone is out
みせにパンがありません。
There is no bread at the store.
Context: Shopping, sold out items
きょうせんせいがいません。
The teacher is not here today.
Context: School, absence
さいふにおかねがありません。
There is no money in the wallet.
Context: Financial situation
ちゅうしゃじょうがありません。
There is no parking lot.
Context: Looking for parking
💡 When to Use These Patterns:
Daily Life:
- • Explaining empty spaces
- • When people are absent
- • Out of stock situations
Communication:
- • Apologizing for absence
- • Explaining why something is missing
- • Describing empty places
❓ Negative Questions and Responses
Learn to ask questions about absence and respond appropriately. These patterns help you confirm whether something or someone is missing, and how to answer such questions naturally!
| Question Pattern | Meaning | Example | Typical Response |
|---|---|---|---|
ありませんか？ | Isn't there...? | ペンがありませんか？ Isn't there a pen? | はい、ありません。 いいえ、あります。 |
いませんか？ | Isn't there...? / Aren't they there? | せんせいがいませんか？ Isn't the teacher there? | はい、いません。 いいえ、います。 |
だれもいませんか？ | Is no one there? | へやにだれもいませんか？ Is no one in the room? | はい、だれもいません。 |
なにもありませんか？ | Is there nothing? | はこになにもありませんか？ Is there nothing in the box? | はい、なにもありません。 |
🗣️ Response Patterns:
- • はい、ありません/いません。 - Yes, there isn't/they aren't
- • いいえ、あります/います。 - No, there is/they are (correcting assumption)
- • だれもいません。 - No one is there (complete absence)
- • なにもありません。 - There is nothing (completely empty)
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⚖️ Positive vs Negative Contrast
See the direct contrast between positive and negative existence. Understanding both helps you describe changing situations and different states of the same location or context!
Context: Same location, different states
つくえにほんがあります。
There is a book on the desk.
つくえにほんがありません。
There is no book on the desk.
Context: Time of day difference
こうえんにこどもがいます。
There are children in the park.
こうえんにこどもがいません。
There are no children in the park.
Context: Before and after consumption
れいぞうこにみずがあります。
There is water in the refrigerator.
れいぞうこにみずがありません。
There is no water in the refrigerator.
Context: Family out vs. family home
いえにひとがいます。
There are people at home.
いえにひとがいません。
There are no people at home.
💬 Question and Response Patterns
Practice natural conversation patterns with these question and response examples. Learn how to ask about existence and respond appropriately in both positive and negative situations!
ほんがありますか？
Is there a book?
はい、あります。
Yes, there is.
いいえ、ありません。
No, there isn't。
だれかいますか？
Is someone there?
はい、います。
Yes, someone is there.
いいえ、だれもいません。
No, no one is there.
がっこうにせんせいがいますか？
Is the teacher at school?
はい、います。
Yes, they are there.
いいえ、いません。
No, they are not there。
💡 Conversation Tips:
- • Listen for question words to know what type of response is expected
- • Use はい/いいえ appropriately - they can be tricky with negative questions!
- • Add だれも/なにも for emphasis when nothing/no one is there
- • Practice both asking and answering to build fluency
💡 Key Points to Remember
Same Rules, Negative Form
The animate/inanimate distinction works exactly the same as with positive forms. If you'd use あります in positive, use ありません in negative. If you'd use います in positive, use いません in negative.
Complete Absence
Use だれも (no one) with いません and なにも (nothing) with ありません to emphasize complete absence. These patterns are stronger than simple negatives.
Negative Questions
Questions ending in ませんか expect something to be there. Answer はい、ありません if it's truly not there, or いいえ、あります if it is actually there.
Natural Usage
Negative existence is common in daily life: explaining absences, describing empty spaces, saying items are out of stock, or noting when expected people aren't present.
Location Still Matters
Use に particle for location even in negative sentences: つくえにほんがありません (there's no book on the desk). The location structure stays the same.
Context Matters
Negative existence often implies expectation. Saying せんせいがいません suggests the teacher was expected to be there. Choose your context carefully for natural communication.
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🏋️ Practice Negative Existence
🎯 Try This Right Now:
- • Look around and describe 3 things that are NOT in your room using ありません
- • Think of people who are NOT at school/work today using いません
- • Practice asking negative questions: "Isn't there...?"
- • Use だれも/なにも to emphasize complete absence
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