Meaning
Something expected keeps not happening or is hard to achieve: バスがなかなか来ない (the bus just won't come). With a positive predicate なかなか means 'quite'.
Formation
- なかなか + negative verb: なかなか来ない
- Often with the potential: なかなか覚えられない, なかなか眠れない
- With a positive predicate it means 'quite': なかなかおいしい
When to use it
- Core use
- Just won't …
Example
雨の日はバスがなかなか来ません
On rainy days the bus just won't come.
Important notes
- Pay attention to the word form before the construction and to the particles around it.
Common mistakes
- Do not translate the pattern word for word; first identify its function in the whole situation.