JLPT N2

なかなか～ない

Not easily; not readily; quite difficult to

Structure

なかなか + Verb-ない form

This phrase is used to express that something is difficult to do, takes a long time, or doesn't happen easily despite efforts or expectations.

彼はなかなか本音を言わない。

He doesn't readily speak his true feelings.

Confusing it with なかなか + positive meaning 'quite (good/interesting)'; the nuance changes drastically with negation.

Think of なかなか as 'quite' or 'rather', and when paired with a negative, it means 'quite difficult to (do something)'.

Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.