Zen-Lingo

Your journey to Japanese fluency (JLPT N5-N1).

Decoded Slug: ~なくもない (〜naku mo nai)

Japanese JLPT Grammar Point
~なくもない (〜naku mo nai)

~なくもない (〜naku mo nai)

Short explanation:

Express the possibility; 'not impossible', 'might as well'.

Formation:

Verb-ないform + もない, い-Adjective-removeい + くもない, な-Adjective + でもない, Noun + でもない

Examples:

彼がもうすぐ戻るなら、待つなくもない。
Kare ga mou sugu modoru nara, matsu naku mo nai.
If he will be back soon, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wait.
この本が役に立つなら、買うなくもない。
Kono hon ga yaku ni tatsu nara, kau naku mo nai.
If this book is useful, it might not be a bad idea to buy it.
天気が良ければ、ピクニックに行くなくもない。
Tenki ga yokereba, pikunikku ni iku naku mo nai.
If the weather is good, it's not impossible that we might go for a picnic.
そのプロジェクトが成功すれば、プロモーションもあり得なくもない。
Sono purojekuto ga seikou sureba, puromōshon mo arienuku mo nai.
If that project succeeds, a promotion might not be out of the question.

Long explanation:

The ~なくもない grammar point is used to express the feasibility of something. It is equivalent to 'not impossible' or 'might as well' in English. Typically, this phrase is used when something is not necessarily likely, but it's also not out of the question.
Zen-Lingo.com

Ace your Japanese JLPT N5-N1 preparation.

Disclaimer

Public Alpha version. This site is currently undergoing active development. You may encounter occasional bugs, inconsistencies, or limited functionality. You can support the development by buying us a coffee.

Copyright 2023 @ zen-lingo.com