なかなか～ない

About

なかなか (中々なかなか in kanji) is an adverb that is often translated as "quite" or "considerably". なかなか can be paired with a negative verb to form the 「なかなか～ない」 pattern, which indicates that an action is taking longer than expected.

E.g. このチキン、なかなか火ひが通とおらないみたい。 "It seems like this chicken is taking a long time to cook."

E.g. 注文ちゅうもんしたピザがなかなか来こないね。 "The pizza we ordered is taking a while to arrive, isn't it?"

なかなか～ない can also indicate that there is a gap between reality and the speaker's hopes/expectations.

E.g. 忙いそがしくて、なかなか本ほんを読よむ時間じかんが見みつからない。 "I'm busy and I just can't find the time to read books."

Summary

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  The なかなか～ない pattern pairs the adverb なかなか with a negative verb

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  The なかなか～ない pattern is used to describe that something is taking longer than expected or defies the speaker's hopes/expectations