ないで — Without doing / Instead of doing

Expresses doing something WITHOUT performing another action. Can also be used as a soft negative request ("please don't do"). Different from なくて which states a reason/cause.

Structure

[Verb nai-form] + で

Examples

朝ごはんを食べないで学校に行った。

Asagohan wo tabenaide gakkou ni itta.

I went to school without eating breakfast.

食べないで (without eating) + 行った

辞書を使わないで、問題を解いてください。

Jisho wo tsukawanaide, mondai wo toite kudasai.

Please solve the problem without using a dictionary.

使わないで (without using)

電気をつけないでください。

Denki wo tsukenaide kudasai.

Please don't turn on the lights.

ないでください = please don't (soft negative request)

• ないで vs なくて: ないで = without doing / instead; • Detail: なくて = because not doing (reason/cause). • Nuance: 食べないで行った (went without eating) vs 食べなくて困った (was troubled because I didn't eat). • Detail: ないでください = please don't (request); • Summary: てはいけない = must not (stronger prohibition).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ないで is tested against.

vs なくて

なくて states a cause/reason ('because ... not') and links states; ないで means doing something 'without' another action, or a soft 'please don't'.

vs ずに

ずに is the formal/written equivalent of ないで ('without doing'); note する becomes せずに, not しないで, in that register.

More verb forms

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