〜ていない

〜ていない is a て-form extension that expresses not doing / not in state. The て-form is one of the most productive patterns in Japanese — by combining it with various helper verbs and expressions, you can express a wide range of meanings from ongoing actions to requests to sequential events.

This is a foundational pattern that you will use from day one of your Japanese studies.

When to Use#

• When negating an ongoing action or resulting state
• When saying you haven't done something yet

When NOT to Use#

• When the meaning is closer to "ongoing action / state" — use 〜ている instead
• In very formal writing where a more sophisticated expression would be expected

Example Sentences#

• 今は雨が降っていません。 — It's not raining now.

Practice#

Try reading these sentences aloud, then check the translation and vocabulary:

Common Mistakes#

1. Confusing 〜ていない with 〜ている — While both are related, 〜ていない expresses "not doing / not in state" whereas 〜ている expresses "ongoing action / state." Pay attention to the specific nuance each pattern conveys.
2. Incorrect て-form conjugation — Make sure you correctly form the て-form of the preceding verb before attaching this pattern. Group 1 verbs have sound changes (く→いて, ぐ→いで, す→して, etc.).

Related Patterns#

• 〜て (te-form (connecting)) — Next step
• 〜ている (ongoing action / state) — Compare