Difference between ではありません and ありません

Question

Difference between ではありません and ありません. When do I need to add the では in front of ありません?

Related: https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/23542/%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84vs-%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%81%AF%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84vs%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%82%82%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84. Both used for negation "no" or "neither". — Tetsuya Yamamoto, Sep 13 '17 at 02:40
Why did you tag this question with [tag:colloquial-language]? — macraf, Sep 13 '17 at 04:10

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 17 '20 at 08:18

2

ではありません

is meant to express something isn't, while

ありません

is meant to express the lack of or nonexistence of something (if concrete, something immobile).

学校ではありません。 (It's) not a school.

学校ありません。 There's no school.

edited Jun 17 '20 at 08:18

Community

answered Sep 13 '17 at 05:23

keithmaxx

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 13 '17 at 04:22

ありません is the negative polite form of あります. You use it to describe that something "doesn't exist". Ex.:

ここに車がありません。 There are no cars here.

ではありません on the other hand, acts as the negative form of です. Ex.:

私は猫ではありません。 I'm not a cat.

2 Answers2