決(けっ)して〜ないNever, By no means

Structure

決(けっ)して + Verb［ない］
決(けっ)して + ［い］Adjective［ない］
決(けっ)して + ［な］Adjective + ではない⁽¹⁾
決(けっ)して + Noun + ではない⁽¹⁾

⁽¹⁾ じゃない

Details

About 決して〜ない

決(けっ)して by itself is the て form of the verb 決(けっ)する 'to determine'. However 決(けっ)して is special in that it is considered to be a stand-alone adverb. As an adverb, it carries the meaning of 'decidedly', or 'assuredly', and is used in sentences that contain ない, in order to convey 'never (A)', 'under no circumstances (A)' or 'by no means (A)'.

Like many other adverbs in Japanese, 決(けっ)して can appear at the beginning of a sentence, or directly before the word it is modifying (which will be in its ない form).

While the translation is 'never', the literal meaning of 決(けっ)して is 'decidedly not (A)', or 'assuredly not (A)', simply emphasizing the negative point within a sentence.

Caution

決(けっ)して may also sometimes be paired with other structures that are not specifically negative, the primary example of this being ものか (a grammar point that we will learn about later). ものか strongly confirms a statement as being something that does not exist/will not be done.

Examples

--:--

嘘(うそ)をついたら決(けっ)してゆるさない。

I will never forgive you if you lie to me.

何(なに)があっても、決(けっ)して諦(あきら)めない。

I will never give up, no matter what happens.

彼(かれ)は決(けっ)して妥協(だきょう)しない人(ひと)だ。

He is a person that never compromises.

あの人(ひと)は決(けっ)して嘘(うそ)をつかない。

That person never tells lies.

あなたのことは決(けっ)して忘(わす)れません。

I will never forget you.

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決して〜ない – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (9 in total)

mrnoone

English translation:
never
by no means
impossible

Structure:
決して + Noun・ ではない
決して + Verb[ ない ]
決して + いAdj[ くない ]
決して + なAdj・ ではない

Explanation:
[There are two ways to read 決して: けっして and けして. The first one is the original reading, and is used the most. けして can be used in more casual situations, but some might consider it a mistake when used in writing.]

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Kamikazen
OK ! So I have a question… when this grammar point comes up, how do I know if it’s **決して they asking me to use, 全然(ぜんぜん) or 全く(まったく), since both of them (all three of them, actually) have ない at the end of the sentence? And they all seem to mean approximately the same thing…

I tend to use ぜんぜん by default… would be a mistake to say one instead of the other?
thanks!
mrnoone
とても

Hey
Sorry for the late answer

They are very similar since they all express total negation but:

全然 and 決して are not used in positive sentences like (though the younger generation uses ぜんぜん in positive sometimes):

それは全く合理的な決意でした
それはとても合理的な決意でした。
That was a very rational decision.

Next thing ,
決して、とても and 全然 cannot modify a noun with の like:
かれの話はまったくのうそだよ！
(His story is complete bullshit)

決して is very often used when forbidding something.
とても is mostly used when denying the possibility of something, so it is often used with potential form.

アルコールを飲んだら決して車を運転してはいけません。
You must never drive after drinking. (IMO, it has a slight nuance of tenacity)
Kamikazen
Thanks so much, this is so useful! I had no idea 全くない was also too formal to use with friends. I think it’s more clear now, I’ll try it out!
mrnoone
Though まったくby itself is used pretty common though.
codewiz
For the example “I will never give up”, wouldn’t “絶対諦めない” also work?

Also, why don’t we have a grammar point for ぜったい?
Pushindawood
@codewiz I have updated the alternative answers to include 絶対. Cheers!

Also, why don’t we have a grammar point for ぜったい?

Working on it!
Yryrdz
Can this grammar point work with negative desire form? I.E; 決して諦めたくない。I don’t see why not but I’m just confirming here.
Daru
Straight from the writeup:

As an adverb, it carries the meaning of ‘decidedly’, or ‘assuredly’, and is used in sentences that contain ない, in order to convey ‘never (A)’, ‘under no circumstances (A)’ or ‘by no means (A)’.

So yeah! It can be used with ～たくない. The key here is for the verb to be in its ない form.
homa
Isn’t this English translation incorrect?