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StueyT (Offline)
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A couple of questions, mainly なければならないんです Vs なければなりません - 02-26-2010, 01:52 PM

I came across this sentence:

映画館に入る前に切符を買わなければなりません
(We)need to buy a ticket before (we) enter the movie theatre.

A few questions here.

Firstly, what is the difference between using ~ないんです and ~ません in requirement conjugations? As far as I'm aware, they're both polite, right? I ask mainly because Pimsleur II's audio uses the ならないんです for 待たなければならないんですand the above sentence is なりません.

Secondly, why is the conjugation negative? Basically, the sentence is we DO (postive) need a ticket, as apposed to we DON'T (negative)? Or does 日本語 see a requirement as a negative thing in general (more like an obstacle) and as such if a requirement exists, it's a bad thing so we use ません or ない?

Cheers in advance


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