なくて (Reasons and Causes)Not ~ and, Not so, Because not (Examples)

In Japanese, なくて is a construction that combines ない (in its conjugation form, なく), with the conjunction particle て. This results in the same 'and' meaning as the standard て form, but with the negative meaning of ない.

なくて is often used when the phrase that comes before it is being highlighted as an example/reason for a specific result. In these situations, the translation is usually 'because not (A), (B)', or 'because I didn't (A), (B)'.

When なくて is used in this way, it is often followed by the speaker's feelings (in the form of an adjective), verbs in the potential form, or something that is generally beyond the control of the speaker. It is due to this fact that the result is 'beyond control' that the translation becomes 'because'.

Some examples of words that express things beyond the control of the speaker are 困(こま)る (to be troubled), 嬉(うれ)しい (to be happy), 疲(つか)れている (to feel weary), 心配(しんぱい) (to feel anxiety/worry), 安心(あんしん) (to feel relief).