〜ていかない: 'Won't Continue / Won't Go On' (Meaning + Examples)
A trend that won't keep progressing
〜ていかない negates ていく to describe a change, habit, or process that will not continue developing going forward — often used with concern about the future.
やったんは、この調子では貯金がなかなか増えていかないと気づいた。
やったんは、この ちょうしでは ちょきんが なかなか ふえて いかないと きづいた。
Yattan realized that at this rate, his savings just weren't going to keep growing.
増えていかない: a trend that fails to continue forward from now.
このままでは、地域の人口は増えていかない。
この ままでは、ちいきの じんこうは ふえて いかない。
At this rate, the region's population won't continue to grow.
努力を続けなければ、実力は伸びていかない。
どりょくを つづけなければ、じつりょくは のびて いかない。
If you don't keep making an effort, your skills won't keep improving.
Form: Verb-て + いかない
いかない is the plain negative of 行く, attached after the て-form exactly as in ていく.
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (て-form) | Vて + いかない | 変わっていかない (won't keep changing) |
| Verb (て-form) | Vて + いかない | 続いていかない (won't keep continuing) |
このやり方では、状況は良くなっていかない。
この やりかたでは、じょうきょうは よくなって いかない。
With this approach, the situation won't keep improving.
Not the same as a simple negative
A plain negative like 増えない just says something doesn't increase — no reference to time. 〜ていかない specifically denies a forward trajectory: it's about whether a process will keep moving from this moment into the future. That's why it shows up so often in warnings and predictions ("at this rate, X won't keep happening") rather than describing a single fixed fact.
The short version
- 〜ていかない = "won't continue / won't keep going" — the negative of ていく.
- Attaches to: the て-form of a verb + いかない.
- Nuance/register: neutral; common in warnings about a trend not continuing.
- Don't confuse with: a plain negative (増えない), which has no forward-looking, ongoing-trend nuance.
Practice it
Choose 〜ていかない when the sentence says a trend will not keep progressing from now on.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
このままでは、会社の業績は上がっ＿＿＿だろう。
Where 〜ていかない fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ていく · N4 — 〜ていく has two big jobs: doing something then going (持っていく = take along), and a change continuing from now into the future (暑くなっていく). See how it mirrors 〜てくる.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜てほしくない · N2 — 〜てほしくない is the negative of 〜てほしい — it says you don't want someone else to do something. 嘘をついてほしくない = 'I don't want you to lie.' Compare with the near-twin 〜ないでほしい.
- 〜てからでないと · N2 — 〜てからでないと attaches to the te-form of a verb to mean 'unless/until X happens first, [cannot happen]' — it states a strict precondition, usually followed by a negative like できない. Stronger than plain てから.
- 〜てこない · N2 — 〜てこない is the negative of 〜てくる — it says an action or change that was expected to approach or arrive simply hasn't happened. It negates the 'coming toward the present' meaning of てくる, not just plain 来る.
- 〜てならない · N1 — 〜てならない attaches to feeling verbs or adjectives to mean an emotion is uncontrollable — 気になってならない ('I just can't stop worrying'). Formal and literary, don't confuse it with the unrelated 〜てはならない ('must not').
More N2 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てきた — 〜てきた marks a change or action that continued from the past up to now — 日本語を10年勉強してきた. It can describe ongoing continuation, gradual change ('has come to...'), or literal movement toward the speaker.
- 〜を通じて — 〜を通じて means 'through/by means of X' (a channel or medium) or, with a time period, 'throughout X'; near-identical to を通して, but leans slightly more toward indirect channels and continuous stretches of time.
- 〜につき — につき has two separate uses: attached to a noun of quantity it means 'per' (１ダースにつき３ドル), while attached to a reason noun in formal notices it means 'due to / because of' (本日休業につき).
- 〜てみたところ — 〜てみたところ attaches to the te-form of a verb to mean 'when I tried doing X, [result]' — it reports the outcome of an attempt, often something unexpected. Common in reports and narration of experiments or trials.
- 〜ほど — 〜ほど expresses degree or extent — 'to the point that,' as in 目の玉が飛び出るほど高い ('so expensive your eyes pop out'). It measures how far something goes by describing a vivid consequence or comparison.