Meaning
This pattern indicates that an action is not necessary or that you have permission to skip doing something. It's formed by adding なくてもいいです or なくてもかまいません to the negative form of a verb. The かまいません version is more polite and formal. When used as a question (なくてもかまいませんか), it seeks permission to not do something.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| 动词 | 动词（ない形） ＋ なくてもいいです |
| 动词 | 动词（ない形） ＋ なくてもかまいません |
Examples
-
お茶をどうぞ。遠慮しなくてもいいですよ。
Please have some tea. You don't need to be reserved with me. -
明日スーツを着てこなくてもかまいませんか。
Is it okay if I don't wear a suit tomorrow? -
このメールに返事をしなくてもかまわない。
You don't have to reply to this email.
Summary
- Both なくてもいいです and なくてもかまいません mean the same thing but the latter is more polite
- Use the verb's negative form (ない) + くてもいい/かまいません to express lack of necessity
- In question form, なくてもかまいませんか is commonly used to ask permission not to do something