# colloquial verb form contractions: なきゃ/なくちゃ



## Nino83

Hello everyone.

I know that in speech there are some contractions like:
そのケーキを*食べてしまう* -> *食べちゃう* 

When we use the structure なければ/なくては + ならない/いけない/だめ だ I know that the first part changes, 食べなければ -> 食べなきゃ, 食べなくては-> 食べなくちゃ but I don't know if in the colloquial form I must say ならない/いけない/だめ だ or not. 
Which is the correct colloqual form? 
食べなきゃ/食べなくちゃ or 食べなきゃ/食べなくちゃ + ならない/いけない/だめ だ? 

Thank you


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## kamot

食べなきゃ(食べなくちゃ)ならない
食べなきゃ(食べなくちゃ)いけない
食べなきゃ(食べなくちゃ)だめだ

You can use all of these as colloquial form.
Moreover, "食べなきゃ/食べなくちゃ" alone implies the similar meaning.


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## Nino83

kamot said:


> Moreover, "食べなきゃ/食べなくちゃ" alone implies the similar meaning.


Are both forms common in speech, or those without the second element (ならない/いけない/だめ だ) are less common or considered too much informal?


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## kamot

Ah, all of these eight (2 first elements * 4 second elements(incl. none)) phrases are informal.
There seems to be two typical use case for these phrases.
1. _I_ (the speaker) encourage _myself_ to eat something.
  (For example, _I_ must eat the food _I_ don't like, or _I_ must eat in order to recover from illness.)
2. _I_ (the speaker) order/suggest _you_ to eat.

In the first case, all of eight phrases are probable.
In the second case, we usually use these phrases to inferiors, such as children, kindergarten child, student and so on, whether the second element is added or not.

These are just my opinion. I think it is better to hear other members' opinion.


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## Nino83

Thank you kamot. 
So, the second element is not necessary.


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## karlalou

Yeah, it's just like the formal version also has the full version (しなければ・しなくては-ならない・いけない・だめだ) and the omitted version (しなければ／しなくては), the informal version has the full version (しなきゃ・しなくちゃ-ならない・いけない・だめだ) and the omitted version (しなきゃ／しなくちゃ).


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## Nino83

Ah, it is possible to omit the second verb also in the formal version, I didn't know it. 
Thank you!


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## frequency

Good. You've already found a good point.
Start from the most formal one


Nino83 said:


> なければ/なくては + ならない


:
ケーキを食べなければならない。
ケーキを食べなくてはならない。
ケーキを食べなければ。
ケーキを食べなくては。
All patterns that you have in your mind are the variations differing in its casualness levels.
I'm sure your understanding must be correct


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## Nino83

Thank you, frequency!


frequency said:


> ケーキを食べなければ。
> ケーキを食べなくては。


About these two, my doubt is that they, theorically, could be confused with "If I don't eat this cake" and "seeing that/because I don't eat this cake" (if I omit to say "は") but, If I understand, when I use them at the end of a sentence, they will be understood as "I must/have to eat this cake", am I right?


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## frequency

Oh, all patterns are always


Nino83 said:


> "I must/have to eat this cake"


 
And


Nino83 said:


> "If I don't eat this cake" and "seeing that/because I don't eat this cake" (if I omit to say "は")


This は isn't the particle は. This は is the one _included/embedded_ in that the word (phrase?) なくては, so you can't omit it.
I mean that they can't be ケーキを食べなくてならない or ケーキを食べなくて.
And it won't be confused nor can't be _If I don't eat this case_.


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## Nino83

Thanks a lot!


frequency said:


> And it won't be confused nor can't be _If I don't eat this cake_.


Isn't 食べなければ also the negative form of the hipotetical conditional 食べれば? 
If one omits ならない・いけない・だめだ isn't there some risk of misunderstanding?


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## frequency

I'm sorry that I didn't notice! And I bet you noticed I was missing the point.

ケーキを食べなければ。 This sounds _I must/have to_, because of the job of the punctuation　まる(。), and its way of ending the sentence.
ケーキを食べなければ、～～.  is exactly "If I don't eat cake, ..."
e.g. ケーキを食べなければ、きみは痩せるのに。

Oops Nino you rock.


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## Nino83

So, it is understood from the context (end of the sentence vs. subordinate clause).
Thank you very much for resolving every doubt!


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