Getting dumbfounded by -なくなる ending. I’m seeing it verbs but everywhere online is talking about adjectives. What does is mean and how is it used?

I’m reading through a graded reader, and I’ve seen verb+なくなる in some form a few times now.

First it was 住めなくならない, which has the conditional of 住む, so not able to reside/live. I assume it then is turned to 住めない, not able to reside. Then くなる is throwing me off. なる is to become, but the く…. Idk what it’s purpose is or if くなる is a new word I don’t know and can’t find in a dictionary.

The second one is the same, except not conditional. 話さなくなりました。
Talking it out, I can go from 話す→話し-(then conjugate、話します for example) or go to 話せる, but that’s conditional. So it’s something about not talking in past tense. That’s all I got.

Every source I clicked on online to only talks about conjugating adjectives with なくなる.

So what exactly is なくなる, what does it mean and how do I use it?

1 comment
  1. there’s no くなる there’s the adverbial form of the adjective ない which is なく (whether it’s attached to a verb or not, ない is an adjective), plus なる. Xadverb + なる is just the way to say “become X”

    same with 赤い (red) –> 赤く (redly) –> 赤くなる (becomes red [english requires an adjective here, but japanese requires an adverb, it’s just the way it is])

    住む reside

    住める able to reside

    住めない unable to reside

    住めなく unabl[y] to reside (there is no english equivalent, just roll with it)

    住めなくなる become unable to reside

    you can keep going with adding conjugations

    住めなくなりそう (maybe / seemingly) will become unable to reside

    住めなくなっている becoming unable to reside

    etc

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