มิได้

Negation in Literary Thai

Level 5

มิได้ appears in the literary and formal wording shown here. Its meaning depends on the phrase: not having decided yet, denying an intention, a prohibition, or an emphatic denial.

How It Works

Not Yet And No Intention
In เขายังมิได้ตัดสินใจ, ยัง combines with negation to mean not yet: the person has not yet decided. In ข้าพเจ้ามิได้มีเจตนาจะทำร้ายใคร, ข้าพเจ้า means I in formal wording, and มิได้มีเจตนา denies having an intention to hurt anyone. Denying an intention does not itself say whether anyone was hurt.

Read Fixed Phrases As A Whole
โดยมิได้นัดหมาย means without prior arrangement. It does not itself describe why people met or whether their meeting was spontaneous. หาที่สุดมิได้ means without end or immeasurable: an end cannot be found. In these negative phrases, do not automatically translate ได้ as have.

A Prohibition
ผู้ใดจะอ้างความไม่รู้กฎหมายมิได้ is an example of legal-style wording meaning no one shall claim ignorance of the law. Here the final มิได้ expresses that the claim is not permitted. This sentence illustrates the language of a prohibition; it does not state the scope or exceptions of a particular law.

An Emphatic Denial
เป็นเช่นนั้นหามิได้ means it is by no means like that. Read หามิได้ as the emphatic negative expression in this phrase, rather than translating หา separately as find.

Register And Time
เมื่อวานผมไม่ได้ไปทำงาน and เมื่อวานผมมิได้ไปทำงาน both say I did not go to work yesterday. เมื่อวาน supplies yesterday; the second sentence uses literary or formal มิได้. Register differences do not make the second sentence grammatically invalid. Compare the separate entry for ไม่ได้ + Verb in its own contexts.

Examples (6)

  1. โดยมิได้นัดหมาย

    Without prior arrangement.

    Word by Word: without | prior arrangement

    โดยมิได้นัดหมาย describes the absence of a prior arrangement. No reason for a meeting is supplied by this phrase.

  2. เขายังมิได้ตัดสินใจ

    They have not yet made a decision.

    Word by Word: they [singular] | not yet | made a decision

    ยัง with มิได้ gives not yet. The decision remains unmade.

  3. หาที่สุดมิได้

    Without end / Immeasurable.

    Word by Word: find | an end | cannot

    The phrase expresses that an end cannot be found. Read it as a whole rather than treating ได้ as the possession verb have.

  4. ข้าพเจ้ามิได้มีเจตนาจะทำร้ายใคร

    I did not have the intention to hurt anyone.

    Word by Word: I [formal] | not | have | intention | to | hurt | anyone

    The sentence denies an intention to hurt anyone. It does not by itself deny that harm occurred.

  5. ผู้ใดจะอ้างความไม่รู้กฎหมายมิได้

    No one shall claim ignorance of the law.

    Word by Word: anyone | may not claim | ignorance of the law

    The final มิได้ expresses a prohibition in this legal-style example. Read shall not as not permitted, not as a prediction.

  6. เป็นเช่นนั้นหามิได้

    It is by no means like that.

    Word by Word: be | like that | emphatic negation

    หามิได้ emphatically denies เป็นเช่นนั้น, being like that.

Common Mistakes

  • Denying harm when the task asks you to deny an intention.

    ข้าพเจ้ามิได้ทำร้ายใคร
    ข้าพเจ้ามิได้มีเจตนาจะทำร้ายใคร

    For this task, say “I did not intend to hurt anyone.” Replace ข้าพเจ้ามิได้ทำร้ายใคร with ข้าพเจ้ามิได้มีเจตนาจะทำร้ายใคร. The phrase มิได้มีเจตนา denies having an intention. Both Thai sentences can be grammatical: the first denies harming anyone, while the correction denies having that intention.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

มิได้Level 5Negation in Literary Thai

Learn This First

มิได้ is a formal and literary way to say 'did not'. To understand it, you must first be familiar with the literary negation particle 'มิ' and the standard everyday construction 'ไม่ได้' which it replaces in formal writing.

Words in This Pattern

มิได้มิได้