"Ja nai desu

sory for the name of the post, my keyboard had some blocked pads and it took some wrong commands. I wanted to make the name of the topic: "ja nai desu" vs "ja arimasen". As the title should say, I want to know which is the difference between "ja arimasen" and "ja nai desu". I've heard them many times in the lessons and anime...though I know that they both negate something, I don't know in what situation is each used. for example, if I have: "kohi wa suki ja arimasen" and "kohi wa suki ja nai desu" Which one would be correct, and why ? If both are correct, then what would the difference be ? Thank you in advance coddo

Coddo san, こんにちは！ (Konnichiwa) Thank you for your post about "Ja nai desu" じゃないです vs. "Ja arimasen" じゃありません. What's the difference? Well... they both translate the same - "is/are not". The negative form of です (desu) in POLITE form is じゃありません (Ja arimasen) and the INFORMAL/PLAIN form of "Ja arimasen" is じゃない (ja nai). So, the only difference is the context in which they are used. If you are speaking to your boss, or someone older than you in Japan, you would use, じゃありません (Ja arimasen), while you can use じゃない or じゃないです when talking casually. The degree of formality goes like this: じゃありません　(ja arimasen) じゃないです (ja nai desu) じゃない　(ja nai) So, for example, you can say: Kohi wa suki ja arimasen (talking to your boss) Kohi wa suki ja nai desu (talking to a stranger) Kohi wa suki ja nai (talking to your friend) Hope that helps! -Sayaka ;)

そうですね！ わかりました！And sorry for the name of the post again :) どうもありがとうございます コッド

どういたしまして　コッドさん。 Your very welcome! -Sayaka ;)

さやか先生、こんばんは！ The degree of formality goes like this: じゃありません　(ja arimasen) じゃないです (ja nai desu) じゃない　(ja nai) what about: ではありません ではない Where do those go in the formality levels? Also with whom do you use each formality level?

isn't it the same? ではありません(de wa arimasen) - formal ではない(de wa nai) - informal Well, now that I know which is formal and which not, I'd personally use "arimasen" for strangers, people who are older (I'm almost 17) or who I don't know very well. And use "nai/ja nai" for informal conversations with my good friends. But, I still have a question here. Aren't both those forms a little more informal, and the more formal one would be: そうではありません or そうではない ? If I've mistaken somewhere please do correct me :). コッド

Minnasan konnichiwa, Excellent questions...and YES, じゃ (ja) can sound informal - so would be better to use it in 'informal' or 'familiar' situations. When on formal context, じゃ (ja) should be replaced by では (dewa). However, do note that じゃ (ja) is a colloquial language and should never be used in written format. The じゃ (ja) sound suggests a rather familiar and soft tone of voice. While では (dewa) is more strong and firm. So, in terms of formality rank... here it goes. そうじゃない　(sou ja nai) そうじゃないです (sou ja nai desu) そうじゃありません　(sou ja arimasen) そうではない (sou de wa nai) そうではないです (sou de wa nai desu) そうではありません (sou de wa arimasen) Thank you for your comments! - Sayaka ;)