You've already learned that you can link verbs by putting them in the て-form.
| I went to the bookstore, bought a book, and read in the park. | 私 は 本屋 に 行って、 本 を 買って、 公園 で 読みました。watashi wa honya ni itte, hon o katte, kouen de yomimashita. |
You can also link a negative verb with other verbs and clauses by putting them in the plain negative form, which ends in ない, and then replacing the final い with なくて.
| I didn't read the book and went to sleep. | 本 を 読まなくて、 寝ました。hon o yomanakute, nemashita. |
| I couldn't take the airplane and went by train. | 飛行機 に 乗れなくて、 電車 で 行きました。hikouki ni norenakute, densha de ikimashita. |
Just as with positive verbs, there is an implicit sense of succession with this pattern so that the actions are taken to occur in the order in which they are mentioned. Moreover, there's often a sense of cause and effect. That's why the pattern 〜なくて is also often translated using the word so.
| I couldn't go to the hospital, so I rested at home. | 病院 に 行けなくて、 家 で 休みました。byouin ni ikenakute, ie de yasumimashita. |
| I can't eat pork, so I'm ordering chicken. | 豚肉 は 食べられなくて、 鶏肉 を 注文します。butaniku wa taberarenakute, toriniku o chuumonshimasu. |
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