It just doesn't/doesn't just work.

[Marika33]

Does changing the place of "just" change the meaning in English?

I would assume it works this way (below), am I right?

1. It just doesn't work. = It simply doesn't work.
2. It doesn't just work. = It not only works, but it also (e.g. helps us ...).

 

[Tarheel]

1. It just doesn't work - It doesn't work. (The "just" is there for emphasis.)
2. No.

 

[jutfrank]

Does changing the place of "just" change the meaning in English?

Sometimes, yes, but more typically it will merely change the emphasis, which is not quite changing the meaning. It really depends on the particular sense of just and the particular position it's in (what it's proximate to). It's a very tricky word.

1. It just doesn't work. = It simply doesn't work.
2. It doesn't just work. = It not only works, but it also (e.g. helps us ...).

Right.

 

[Marika33]

Right.

Off topic. Which of the two should I use, or are both fine?

1. It not only works, but it also helps me.
2. It doesn't only work, but it also helps me.

Maybe, I'm wrong, but I like sentence 1 more since "it" does work, and "not" is there for "only" (not only), not for "does" (does not).
Hmm, I guess I could also say, 3) "Not only does it work, but it also helps me".

 

[jutfrank]

Not only does it work, it also helps me.

Start with 'Not only' and follow with a subject-auxiliary inversion.